Blood clots can spell instant disaster or even death for those who are caught unprepared. But for healthy people, blood clots aren’t a concern, right? Wrong. Every day, 247 people die from unexpected blood clots, and hundreds more are treated for these sinister disorders. Many people are caught completely unaware – they either don’t recognize the symptoms of a clot once it has developed, or they were unaware that they were in a high-risk group, and therefore did little to monitor themselves and take active measures to prevent the formation of the clot when they were able to.
How Do Blood Clots Form?
A blood clot is caused by blood cells clumping together. In most cases, this happens when the skin breaks in response to injury, surgery or other trauma, and the blood clots seal the skin, preventing you from bleeding excessively in response to a minor injury. People with certain conditions such as hemophilia lack certain chemicals that trigger clotting, and are unable to form blood clots. Those people are at risk for severe bleeding, even from minor injuries.
However, while most clots are beneficial, in some cases, the body forms abnormal blood clots inside the body — in the legs, lungs, heart or brain, for example — which can block blood flow and tissue oxygenation, leading to severe organ damage or even sudden death.
Risk factors for these conditions vary greatly, and you may be surprised to note that people who are otherwise completely healthy may be at an increased risk for developing a potentially life-threatening blood clot. Among the surprising risk factors that increase your risk of developing a clot:
Being An Athlete
When you think of an athlete, you picture someone who is in great overall health, with a high level of fitness. And this is true — especially athletes who keep their bodies free from performance-enhancing drugs and who follow healthy diet and lifestyle routines. Even the healthiest, most fit athlete, though, is at an increased risk of developing certain types of blood clots, including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). Even scarier, according to the National Blood Clot Alliance, diagnosis of these conditions is often delayed by healthcare providers, family members or the patients themselves, even when they exhibit classic symptoms of clots – because blood clots are perceived to be a condition that strikes the elderly or the infirm. In fact, athletes have a number of specific risk factors that put them at a far greater risk of developing a blood clot, including:
– Frequent and long-distance travel to sports competitions and games, whether by plane, bus or car
– Significant or frequent trauma, especially to the legs, ankles and extremities
– Risk of broken bones, which leads to major surgery or long-term immobilization of one or more extremities
– Female athletes who use birth control pills increase their blood clot risk
Being a Road Warrior
George Clooney’s iconic character in Up In The Air may seem extreme, but his routine is actually typical for many, whether they work in sales or as consultants, who spend significant portions of their time traveling from client to client, business meeting to professional conference. These road warriors are also at an increased risk of developing a blood clot, regardless of how often they hit the gym or how healthy their diets are. This risk is rooted in travel – spending long periods of time sitting, whether it’s in a plane or car, can increase your risk of having blood pool in the lower legs, causing deep vein thrombosis, or DVT. This risk is especially high if you have a tendency to cross your legs while sitting, which further obstructs blood flow to the lower legs. If you or someone you care about is a road warrior, there are a number of recommended exercises that can be done, right in your seat, that will help lower your risk of developing a blood clot next time you’re on the road.
Being Immobile
Immobility doesn’t need to be permanent to increase one’s risk of developing a blood clot, although the longer you are immobile, the greater your risk is. If you are hospitalized for an illness or injury, off your feet because of a broken bone (which is a risk factor in itself because recent trauma causes an increase in risk of blood clots) or if a doctor orders you to stay off your feet in the final weeks or months of pregnancy (another risk factor, which will be discussed below), you are at an increased risk of developing a blood clot. If you will be immobile for any extended period, there are stretches and exercises you can complete while you’re in bed. Talk to your doctor about your additional risk factors of developing a clot, including age, gender, lifestyle choices, diet, weight and family history, and if you have multiple risk factors, find out what additional steps your doctor would like you, specifically, to make to avoid developing this nasty condition.
Smoking
If you are a smoker, stop. Smoking puts you at risk for a wide range of illnesses and health conditions, and there is no upside. Talk to your doctor or health care provider or research alternative cessation techniques, including hypnotherapy.
Being on Birth Control/Hormone Replacement Therapy
There are many types of medications that can increase your risk of developing blood clots, but estrogen-based birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy have both been linked with an increased risk of blood clots. This is because the hormone slows blood, which can lead to clot formation. If you have other risk factors for blood clots, are older than 35 or are a smoker, talk to your doctor about alternative birth control options or hormone replacement therapy to minimize your risk of developing a blood clot.
Being Pregnant
Being pregnant can be one of the most amazing times in a woman’s life. There are so many changes taking place, and you’re about to bring a new life into the world. Your body is also making rapid changes to accommodate the little bundle growing inside of you, and one of those changes is an increase in the blood’s platelets and clotting factors, which can increase the risk of developing a blood clot. Your ever-growing uterus, especially later in pregnancy, also compresses the veins, which slows blood flow and can lead to blood clots.
Being Genetically Prone to Blood Clots
Sometimes, the risk of developing a blood clot is inherently high because of a genetic predisposition, family history of blood clots or other genetic disorders that can pose a greater risk. For some people, there is a defect in the proteins needed for blood to clot or with the substances in the body that dissolve forming clots. If you have a history of miscarriages, you are at an increased risk of developing a blood clot, as are you if you have certain inherited blood disorders.
Act Quickly to Save a Life
If you develop swelling that is painful, hot to the touch, or discolored in an extremity or if you have a discoloration on the skin in a sore or tender part of an extremity, you may have developed DVT, which can dislodge and travel to another part of the body, like the lungs or heart, where it can become life-threatening. You should see your doctor as soon as possible to discuss options for dissolving it.
If, however, you develop sudden shortness of breath, shooting chest pain that gets worse when you cough or try to take a deep breath, feel faint or dizzy and have an irregular or racing heartbeat, pain that radiates from the torso to the arm, shoulder, neck or even jaw, or if you begin to develop clammy or bluish skin, get to an emergency room as soon as possible, because you may have developed a life-threatening pulmonary embolism and will require immediate treatment.
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