Why Fear Blood Clots

Blood must flow continuously and smoothly throughout your blood vessels for life. A blood clot forms as a safety measure to stop the body from bleeding too much after a cut or injury. Blood clots become a problem when the blood clots in an artery or vein inappropriately preventing blood from flowing through the blood vessels.

You're more likely to get clots that you do not need when you don't have a good balance between the kinds of proteins that cause and stop the blood from clotting. The life cycle of a normal blood clot depends upon a series of chemical interactions.

When a blood vessel is damaged platelets in the blood get released to help the damaged area. Platelets are the cells that circulate in our blood and together when they recognize damage to a blood vessel, thereby causing a blood clot. Certain proteins offset extra clotting factors so the clot doesn't spread farther than it needs to. Your body slowly dissolves the clot and your blood takes back the platelets.

Risk factors for developing blood clots

• Diabetes
• Smoking
• Overweight and obesity
• Pregnancy
• A personal history of unexplained miscarriages
• Prolonged bed rest or sitting for long periods of time
• Birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy
• Cancer
• Dehydration - This condition causes blood vessels to narrow and blood to thicken.
• Family members who have had dangerous blood clots
• Hemophilia is an inherited bleeding disorder in which a person lacks or has low levels of certain proteins called blood clotting factors and the blood doesn't clot properly.

When the clotting is in a vein symptoms may include pain, swelling, warmth, and redness. If the area that is damaged hurts or itches, Do Not Rub It! This could cause the clot to break away and travel causing a lot of damage.

A blood clot in an artery that supplies blood to the heart or brain may result in a heart attack, stroke, or TIA (mini-stroke)

If a clot forms in a leg or arm breaks off and travels to the lung, it causes a pulmonary embolus. Then it becomes a potentially life threatening condition. Symptoms include chest pain and shortness of breath.

Treatments for blood clots depend upon the location, but most situations require the use of anticoagulant medication that thins the blood.

Medications that stop platelets from signaling each other so they will not stick together.

• Aspirin
• Plavix
• Persantine
• Effient
• Brilinta
• Ticlid

Medicines called blood thinners make it hard for the body to make clotting factors, or they prevent proteins in the clot-forming process from working.

• Eliquis
• Pradaxa
• Savaysa
• Heparin
• Xarelto
• Warfarin (Coumadin)

The prognosis for a person with a blood clot depends a lot upon the health of the person, the location of the blood clot, and how quickly medical care is received.