People diagnosed with arterial disease who are at risk for developing a clot in their arteries may have several doctors involved in their care, including a cardiologist (a doctor who specializes in conditions of the heart), a neurologist, and possibly a hematologist.įor some patients, participating in a clinical trial provides access to novel therapies. If you are diagnosed with a venous clot, your doctor may refer you to a hematologist, a doctor who specializes in treating blood diseases.
Abdomen - severe abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrheaīlood clots are treated differently depending on the location of the clot and your health.Lung - sharp chest pain, racing heart, shortness of breath, sweating, fever, coughing up blood.Arm or Leg - sudden or gradual pain, swelling, tenderness and warmth.Brain - weakness of the face, arms or legs, difficulty speaking, vision problems, sudden and severe headache, dizziness.Heart - chest heaviness or pain, discomfort in other areas of the upper body, shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, light-headedness.In addition to knowing your risk factors, it is also important to be aware of the symptoms of blood clots, which vary depending upon where the clot is located: Age (increased risk for people over age 60).
Immobility (including prolonged inactivity, long trips by plane or car).The following factors increase your risk of developing a blood clot: Even certain medications can affect how quickly your blood clots. Certain risk factors, such as obesity, slow the flow of blood in the veins, while others, such as age, can increase the body's natural ability to clot. There are molecules in your system that signal your body to let it know when, where, and how quickly to form a clot, and genetics plays a role in how quickly your body reacts to these signals. Different risk factors or events can cause unnatural clotting however, each factor may initiate clotting in a different way. The risk factors for developing a venous clot are different from those for an arterial clot, and people at risk for getting one are not necessarily at risk for getting the other. Do you understand your risk? Check out ASH's five common myths about DVT. 2 Despite the prevalence of this condition, the public is largely unaware of the risk factors and symptoms of DVT/PE. It is estimated that each year DVT affects as many as 900,000 1 people in the United States and kills up to 100,000. This is called a pulmonary (lung) embolism (PE) and can be extremely dangerous. In some cases, a clot in a vein may detach from its point of origin and travel through the heart to the lungs where it becomes wedged, preventing adequate blood flow. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a type of clot that forms in a major vein of the leg or, less commonly, in the arms, pelvis, or other large veins in the body. An abnormal clot that forms in a vein may restrict the return of blood to the heart and can result in pain and swelling as the blood gathers behind the clot. Veins are low-pressure vessels that carry deoxygenated blood away from the body's organs and back to the heart. While both types of vessels help transport blood throughout the body, they each function differently. These situations can be dangerous and require accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.Ĭlots can occur in veins or arteries, which are vessels that are part of the body's circulatory system. Sometimes, however, clots form on the inside of vessels without an obvious injury or do not dissolve naturally. Typically, your body will naturally dissolve the blood clot after the injury has healed. Platelets (a type of blood cell) and proteins in your plasma (the liquid part of blood) work together to stop the bleeding by forming a clot over the injury. Blood clotting, or coagulation, is an important process that prevents excessive bleeding when a blood vessel is injured.