Deep vein thrombosis can arise when a blood clot becomes developed in one of your veins. The most common areas affected are the veins in legs and can easily cause severe problems such as pulmonary embolisms.
Although blood clots are usually small and are easily broken down by your body, occasionally a larger clot will partially or totally block the flow of blood through the vein and cause symptoms.
These symptoms can include swelling of the leg, pain and tenderness in the leg, redness, and skin that is warm or hot to the touch. If chest pains accompany these symptoms, it is very possible a pulmonary embolism has occurred.
Because the blood in our bodies is meant to flow, if it becomes sluggish or heavy there is a possibility it will clot. If the balance of the blood flow through our veins is altered, it can easily become clotted.
Some situations where this can possibly happen include being immobile, such as sitting or travelling for long periods of time, hospitalization, surgeries, injury or trauma to the lower leg, pregnancy or obesity.
Another cause could by hypercoagubility which can occur by taking birth control pills, smoking, genetic predisposition, polycythemia (an increase in the number of red blood cells), and cancer.
Lastly, trauma to the vein can also cause blood clots to form. Trauma can be caused by a fracture or injury to the leg, a bruised leg, or complications from an invasive procedure done to the veins.
Diagnosing superficial or deep vein thrombosis should be done by a skilled physician. Your physicians will use diagnostic tests, such as an ultrasound, to determine whether your symptoms are due to a thrombosis.
Another test, although it is not used as much anymore, is venography. Venography is where dye is injected into the vein to look for clots.
Lastly, a D-dimer test will be performed to see if a blood clot exists. D-dimer is a chemical that is produced when a blood clot dissolves. Because this test can have positive results due to surgeries, pregnancies, or even a fall it is only used discriminately.
Prevention of deep vein thromboses is key whenever you are travelling, or after surgeries. Getting patients up and walking sooner is a key preventive measure, as well as using compression stockings. If you are travelling for a long period, stopping and getting up to walk around is another great way to prevent any thromboses.
If you are having chest pains or are having difficulty breathing, go to the hospital as soon as possible to rule out a pulmonary embolism.
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