Anemia in the pediatric patient
5 Hidden Blood Clot Signs You Should Not Ignore
Hidden blood clot symptoms often involve subtle or "silent" signs, as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in the legs can be unnoticed or cause dull pain, tenderness, swelling, and warmth. Symptoms are more obvious when a clot travels to the lungs, causing sudden shortness of breath, chest pain, or a fast heartbeat, which require immediate medical attention.
DVT typically forms deep within a vein in the leg. When a blood clot forms, it can obstruct blood flow, leading to uncomfortable symptoms. If a clot breaks free from the spot where it formed, it may cause a potentially life-threatening condition known as pulmonary embolism, when the clot travels through blood vessels and enters the lung.
Not all blood clots in the leg lead to pulmonary embolism; some resolve on their own. But if you notice signs that you may have DVT, seeing a doctor quickly may help you avoid dangerous complications.
These veins are invisible to us, so a clot could be "silent" without causing any symptoms.
What Causes Blood Clots?Blood clots happen because substances in your blood become thick and form a semi-solid mass. This process helps heal injuries, but it can be dangerous if clots appear without reason or break free.
Lack of movement or long travelYour blood slows down during periods of stillness. Long hours of sitting at a desk or during travel substantially increase your chances of developing clots. Research shows that staying immobile for more than 3 days puts hospitalized patients at risk for proximal deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The risk becomes 5 times higher with temporary immobilization. This highlights why understanding how to prevent blood clots is important, especially for travelers or those on bed rest.
Surgery or injuryBlood clots often develop after surgery and physical trauma. The risks are higher with major operations, especially those that involve your abdomen, pelvis, hip, or legs. About 40% of post-surgery blood clots occur in the hospital, and 60% develop within 90 days after patients go home. Recent hospital stays or surgeries are linked to more than half of all blood clots first spotted in outpatient settings.
Medical conditions and medicationsThese health conditions raise your blood clotting risk:
Your risk of venous thrombosis doubles with a family history and quadruples if multiple relatives have had clots. Common inherited clotting disorders include Factor V Leiden mutation (found in 5% of people with European ancestry) and Prothrombin G20210A mutation (present in 2% of people).
The danger grows much higher with multiple risk factors. People who have both genetic and environmental risk factors plus a family history face a risk 64 times higher than those without any risk factors.
Hidden Blood Clot Signs You Shouldn't Ignore 5. Skin ColorIf a clot plugs up veins in your arms or legs, they may look bluish or reddish. Your skin also might stay discolored from the damage to blood vessels afterward. A pulmonary embolism (PE) in your lung could make your skin pale, bluish, and clammy.
Red blood cells provide oxygen to body tissues. Most of the time, nearly all red blood cells in the arteries carry a full supply of oxygen. These blood cells are bright red and the skin is pinkish or red.
Blood that has lost its oxygen is dark bluish-red. People whose blood is low in oxygen tend to have a bluish color to their skin. This condition is called cyanosis.
Depending on the cause, cyanosis may develop suddenly, along with shortness of breath and other symptoms.
Cyanosis that is caused by long-term heart or lung problems may develop slowly. Symptoms may be present, but are often not severe.
When the oxygen level has dropped only a small amount, cyanosis may be hard to detect.
In dark-skinned people, cyanosis may be easier to see in the mucous membranes (lips, gums, around the eyes) and nailbeds.
4. SwellingMost people typically have some degree of leg swelling at a point in their lives, especially near the end of the day. That's not the swelling we worry about. Instead, watch for swelling that:
Edema, or swelling, can become an emergency when it is accompanied by the following symptoms:
If you experience any of these symptoms, seek immediate medical attention.
3. Pain in Your LegNew leg pain — like a pain in your calves, a charley horse, or something you would consider as "growing pains" — could signal a blood clot in the leg. But if the pain only lasts for a few seconds and doesn't come back, it's probably not a blood clot.
Blood clot symptoms don't come and go quickly. So if your pain doesn't go away after your allotted time or it changes in the type of pain you're used it, it would be good to talk to your doctor about the length of time and the type of pain you have.
Also, if you feel a lump or cord that is tender to the touch can be caused by clots in superficial veins outside the muscle.
2. Irregular HeartbeatDoes your heartbeat seem to be off? Does it feel like it beating too fast? An irregular heartbeat, especially atrial fibrillation (AFib), can lead to blood clots because of sluggish blood flow in the heart's upper chambers, which increases the risk of serious complications like stroke, pulmonary embolism, or organ damage. Symptoms of a blood clot include numbness, weakness, or paralysis, especially on one side of the body, as well as trouble with speech, walking, or coordination. If you suspect an irregular heartbeat or symptoms of a blood clot or stroke, you should seek emergency medical care immediately.
How AFib Causes Blood Clots
While changing in your breathing doesn't sound too bad, it can be very troublesome when it comes to a blood clot.If you feel that something may be off, be aware of breathing changes like:
Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing are common symptoms related to a number of issues. But it is important to recognize that although a symptom may seem minor, it could be the tip of the iceberg.
How Long Before a Blood Clot Can Take Your Life?The time frame before a pulmonary embolism (PE) becomes fatal varies depending on the severity of the embolism and the patient's overall health.
Immediate death:In some cases, a large PE can block a major blood vessel in the lungs immediately, leading to sudden death. This occurs in about 25% of cases.
Within hours or days:If the PE is not treated promptly, it can cause significant damage to the heart and lungs. Death may occur within hours or days in these cases.
Within weeks or months:Smaller PEs or those that are treated early may take weeks or months to become fatal. The risk of death is higher if the patient has underlying heart or lung conditions.
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the mortality rate for PE is:30-day mortality: 10-15%1-year mortality: 20-25%
It's important to note that these are just estimates, and the actual time frame may be different for each individual patient. If you suspect you have a PE, seek immediate medical attention as it is a life-threatening condition.
What Causes Blood Clots?
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Blood clotting, also called coagulation, is a vital process the body uses after an injury to stop bleeding and help prevent infections. But sometimes, blood clots form inside an artery or vein, where they can cause damage or even lead to death.
So what causes blood clots? And what makes them more likely to form?
A blood clot can form when a blood vessel is injured. This kicks off a chain of events that causes a protein called thrombin to accumulate nearby. The thrombin then activates bits of cells called platelets in the blood, causing them to form a plug that covers the injury site.
These platelets also bind fibrinogen, another bloodborne protein. Thrombin converts this fibrinogen into a tough protein called fibrin, which forms a mesh that bridges the platelets to reinforce the plug. Once the wound has healed, these clots dissolve.
Related: What's the rarest blood type?
In some cases, though, blood clots can form when there isn't an acute injury. This happens when factors in the blood make it more likely to clot; blood vessel linings are damaged over time by disease; or blood flow is restricted, for example, by plaque buildup caused by coronary artery disease.
Medically known as a thrombus, a blood clot that forms in one of these ways may stay in the blood vessel without dissolving and block the passage of blood. This can cause tissue damage if the clot cuts off blood flow completely. If thrombi form in the heart, they can lead to heart attacks. If they form in the brain, they can cause stroke.
If some or all of the clot breaks loose from its original site, it is called an embolus. Broadly, emboli are masses that travel through the bloodstream and can get stuck if they reach a vessel that's too narrow.
Such roving clots are especially dangerous because they can travel to any part of the body. In a condition called deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a clot forms in a large vein, often in the legs, and can break off and travel to the lungs. That is then called a pulmonary embolism, which is a life-threatening medical emergency.
A 3D rendering of red blood cells traveling through a narrow vein or artery
"I cannot stress how important it is to recognize the symptoms of a blood clot," Dr. Rachel Rosovsky, director of thrombosis research in the Division of Hematology at Massachusetts General Hospital, told Live Science. "If you have a DVT, it could be leg pain, redness or swelling. For a pulmonary embolism, it could be chest pain, pressure, shortness of breath or a fast heart rate."
It's important not to ignore these symptoms, especially if you are at risk of a blood clot, because a successful recovery often depends on quick treatment.
Some diseases make blood more likely to clot. There are genetic conditions that increase the levels of clotting proteins in the blood; reduce the levels of proteins that prevent or dissolve clots; or otherwise impair those proteins' functions.
Other conditions — including cancer, autoimmune diseases, high blood pressure and infections like COVID-19 — may also throw off the body's delicate balance of coagulation factors. In COVID-19, a combination of excessive inflammation and rogue antibodies are thought to increase the blood's propensity to clot.
Related: If blood is red, why do veins look bluish?
Both pregnancy and hormonal treatments, such as some forms of birth control and hormone replacement therapies, are tied to an increased risk of blood clots. Research suggests that anxiety and depression may boost the risk of DVT by increasing stress-related neural activity tied to clot formation.
Lifestyle factors also contribute to a person's risk of blood clots. Smoking raises the risk by increasing inflammation in the body and making platelets more reactive. Obesity is also tied to a higher risk of blood clots; this may be partly because signaling molecules made by fat cells can boost levels of clotting factors and make platelets stickier.
By limiting a person's mobility, long-haul travel, injuries such as bone fractures, and major surgeries can all temporarily increase the risk of dangerous clots. That's because less movement means less blood flow, more inflammation and more activation of clotting factors in response to that inflammation.
Some of these risk factors can be mitigated, though.
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"If you sit at a desk all day, get up and walk around every hour," Rosovsky said, adding that seated travelers should wear compression stockings or take regular movement breaks during their journeys. She also recommended that, in general, people stay well hydrated, maintain a healthy weight, engage in physical activity and avoid smoking.
"Right now, someone dies of a blood clot every six minutes," Rosovsky said. As many as 100,000 die of blood clots each year in the U.S. Rosovsky stressed that it's important to know your risk factors and how to mitigate them, but also, to be aware of the signs and symptoms of blood clots and seek medical attention if you experience them.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to offer medical advice.
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What Blood Clots Actually Feel And Look Like – And When To Worry
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