In the body, the circulatory system is needed in order to transport oxygen and other nutrients. They enter tissues and cells. That is why, if any pathological processes develop, the work of all internal systems is disrupted. If the blood is thick, its composition is disturbed. This consistency appears due to an increase in the amount of hematocrit, an increase in red blood cells and directly hemoglobin. Before you understand why a person has thick blood, and how to cure it, it should be noted that all of the above indicators change with age, so the norm for people of different ages will be different.
About the state of the body
The treatment of thick blood in a person depends entirely on the causes of such a condition. It must be understood that this symptomatology is not a separate disease. It only says that there is some kind of inflammation in the body.
Blood is made up of plasma and blood cells. The density of the liquid depends on the latter. The concentration of elements in the blood is much greater than the plasma. The latter is made up of water. Whereinthis liquid contains about 90%. The remaining 10% is dry matter. In addition, the composition of the plasma also includes proteins and s alts. It should be noted that the quantitative composition of plasma and blood in general differs between men and women. Density depends on fibrinogen and prothrombin.
Why does the body get more hematocrit?
The reasons that the blood has become thick can be various processes. If we talk about hematocrit, then in women and men, in principle, its increase is provoked by the same factors. However, most often this problem occurs in men. Consider the reasons that can lead to an increase in this indicator, and, accordingly, provoke the appearance of thick blood in women and men.
Dehydration
Dehydration of the body can occur if a person has diabetes, kidney problems, chronic pyelonephritis, persistent diarrhea, and constant vomiting, fever. With insufficient fluid in the body, the consistency of the blood may change. People who live in a place where the ambient temperature is high will also be dehydrated.
A similar condition occurs in people who are sick and have a fever. This reaction is natural, as the body tries to normalize the condition. Thus, a person begins to sweat profusely, and he has frequent urination. The most common cause of thick blood in women is dehydration.
Reception of medical supplies
Thickblood can appear when taking certain medications that adversely affect the state of the plasma. Most often this happens due to the fact that the plasma loses its liquid part. That is why the hematocrit rises. As a rule, this is caused by contraceptives and drugs that restore erectile function, as well as medications needed to treat the adrenal glands. Such drugs can only be taken with the permission of a doctor. It is imperative to compare the course of treatment with a specialist and follow the dosage. Drugs are often the cause of thick blood in men.
Metabolism
If a person has problems with the intestines, stomach and liver, then some of the metabolic products may not be oxidized sufficiently. That is why there is an increase in the blood of special elements, as well as glucose. Against the background of the fact that the plasma remained in its usual composition, after the addition of such elements, it becomes thick. For such reasons, a person will notice swelling of the skin. This is due to the fact that water will be excreted through fatty tissue.
Diseases of the respiratory system
Due to the fact that a person may have problems with the respiratory system, he slows down the process of oxygen supply to the body. If this substance is not enough, then the patient experiences hypoxia. In addition, the blood begins to oxidize. Because of this, formed elements begin to accumulate in the vessels. Accordingly, a person has hypoxia, andalso problems with blood flow. As a result, the pathological condition of a person worsens, and the blood begins to thicken.
Change in cholesterol levels
If a person has elevated cholesterol levels in the blood, then it will acquire a thick concentration. Moreover, this may be due not only to the increased amount of cholesterol, but also to other elements.
Ingestion of various pathogens
If a person has become infected with any infection, and it does not matter if it is of a viral or bacterial nature, and also has parasitic forms of diseases, then the immune system begins to work actively. Protective cells penetrate into the blood, where, after fighting the virus, they begin to die. Because of this, the plasma concentration changes. This is due to the fact that some white blood cells are found in the intestinal layer. Due to this, the vessels do not overflow. However, if we are talking about an infectious pathology or a disease with worms, then leukocytes return to the blood, so the viscosity increases.
Stress
Stress also affects the amount of elements that are contained in the blood. It can be cholesterol, glucose, and so on. At the same time, in order for the hematocrit to increase, a person needs to regularly experience any shocks. If we are talking about episodic stress, then the state of the circulatory system does not change. It should also be noted that periodic releases of adrenaline into the blood, which occur due to nervous exhaustion, increase not only the concentration of the blood, but also have a bad effect on the bone marrow. If stress is causingthick blood, the treatment will be simple.
Additional reasons
At the moment, there are many factors that affect the concentration of blood. They also, in addition to the above, should include hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, leukemia, varicose veins, burns, and some other diseases. It should also be noted malnutrition. This reason is one of the most popular. This is due to the fact that products with foreign elements enter the body, which are deposited on the cells. That is why the immune system releases its elements in order to get rid of such substances. Accordingly, for some time after eating, a person’s blood may thicken.
In babies
Before you start to worry, you need to understand that babies have slightly different normal indicators. They also differ from the indicators that children older than a year should have. These numbers will become normal over time. As a rule, newborns have a large amount of hemoglobin and red blood cells in the blood. This is due to the fact that the body does not understand what environment it is in, and begins to react. However, by the year all indicators are normalized, and the body will function as expected. In order to treat thick blood, the causes should be clarified soon.
Pregnant women
It should be noted that during pregnancy, a woman's body changes a lot. These changes are necessary so that the fetus can adapt and fully develop. However, some of themnegatively affect the mother. Of particular note is the thick blood, which also affects the child. If a woman's hematocrit rises, it may be because she is deficient in some enzyme, or she may be taking medications that contain iron. As a rule, such medicines are prescribed if hemoglobin is lowered. If there is little water in the body, vitamin deficiency, as well as a lack of minerals, then this can also cause thick blood during pregnancy.
When it comes to pathological changes, the plasma thickens with blood loss, severe pain, problems with the kidneys, liver and intestines, as well as with increased clotting. It should be noted that the latter factor very often leads to miscarriage.
It is not uncommon for the hematocrit to rise for a short time in pregnant women for no reason. This is considered a normal process. It does not affect the he alth of women and children. However, if there are several factors at the same time due to which such an effect occurs, then the condition itself worsens. You need to understand that in many pregnant women, thick blood is a reaction of the body to blood loss. Due to her, during childbirth, a woman will not die from blood loss.
If we talk about this pathology, then this problem can be called serious only if the plasma concentration exceeded the norm for pregnant women.
Complications
Most often thick blood is observed in the elderly. This is due to the fact that the body is already poorly coping with its functions. Therefore, less decay products enter the bloodstream. However, it should be notedthe fact that due to this state of the blood there is a load on the cardiac system. That is why some pathologies may occur. The occurrence of complications depends entirely on the reasons why this pathology occurred.
Consequences in adults
Very often, thick blood leads to the fact that little oxygen enters the organs, and the amount of nutrients that cells need is also reduced. Radicals can be released. Hypoxia can occur. Often, due to this problem, atherosclerotic plaques form. Thrombi can merge with each other, so thrombosis can occur. Such processes provoke a stroke, a heart attack, and can sometimes lead to death.
Complications during pregnancy
It should be noted that most often the pathological process that develops in pregnant women is much more difficult than in ordinary people. The fact is that thick blood, if it is not returned to normal in time, causes negative phenomena. One of them is miscarriage. That is why special attention should be paid to the causes and treatment of thick blood in pregnant women.
In addition, the pregnancy process can stop, that is, freeze, there are violations in the formation of the child, fetal hypoxia can also occur. If we talk about a woman, then she can have a stroke or heart attack. Often there are varicose veins. It is especially evident in the lower extremities. If you do not take any measures when the blood of a pregnant womanbecomes thick, you can lose the baby.
Symptomatics
As a rule, the problem of thick blood does not cause any symptoms. However, if an elevated hematocrit occurs, the following symptoms may appear. A person will feel thirsty, he will have constant shortness of breath, the skin will be dry, there will be muscle weakness, tachycardia will occur for no reason, heaviness will be felt in the head, and the limbs will become cold. If the child has thick blood, the symptoms will be tearfulness.
Diagnosis
Before you can understand how to fix this problem, you need to understand the process of diagnosing thick blood. To do this, it is necessary to pass a general analysis, conduct a coagulogram. It is especially necessary for pregnant women. This will allow you to find out if there is a pathological condition. You need to pass a biochemical analysis, do a glucose tolerance test, and also pass urine. This study must be carried out in order to understand how many formed elements are in the blood, and whether there are any deviations.
Treatment with drugs
In order to get rid of such an ailment, it is necessary to take measures that are aimed at thinning the blood and suppressing symptoms. Thick blood in men and women is treated with the same drugs, if there are no contraindications. To do this, you need to drink medicines that restore the metabolic process, medicines that allow you to get rid of blood clots and eliminate them, and you also need to take measures toallowing you to protect yourself from the tumor.
As a rule, Aspirin, Dipyridamole, and some other drugs are prescribed. Thanks to them, the normalization of blood flow and blood thinning occurs. However, they are not prescribed if a person has an ulcer, asthma, liver problems, hypertension, allergies, and also if it is a pregnant woman. In this case, the doctor selects additional drugs individually.
Proper nutrition
To thin the blood, you can use not only drugs. If we are talking about pregnant women and those who cannot take the above remedies, you can normalize the diet. Everyone should follow this diet. However, you will have to give up some products. The doctor must determine what you can not eat, based on the characteristics of the body. As a rule, dietary nutrition involves the addition of certain spices to the diet. Especially we are talking about turmeric and dill. Thyme and ginger will also help. They will also be useful in the treatment of thick blood in women.
Must drink fluids. The patient should drink up to 2 liters. It is advisable to drink pure non-carbonated water. In this case, you need to drink it not at once, but throughout the day. It is necessary to reduce s alt intake to a minimum. Because of it, the fluid is poorly excreted from the body, so swelling may occur. It is necessary to eat foods that contain ascorbic acid. We are talking about berries, fruits and so on. Particularly suitable are those fruits that are either red or orange.
Refuse should be frommilk and any dairy products, as well as meat, yolk, chocolate, coffee and bread. They often cause thick blood.
Traditional medicine
It should be noted that with viscous blood, traditional medicine often gives positive results. It is advisable to take all the remedies described below only after consulting your doctor.
You can use ginger root. This plant must be crushed, mixed with cinnamon and added to the tea that a person will drink. You can take this composition no more than three times a day. You need to drink it only after eating.
Vegetable collection is excellent. It is necessary to use hawthorn, wild rose and currant. You can also add calendula flowers. They must be mixed in equal proportions, chopped and added to boiling water 4 tbsp. l. This composition should be heated for 20 minutes. The finished product can be taken after meals. Such a treatment for thick blood will be effective.
Rosehip, hawthorn, calendula are also an effective way. In order to prepare the medicine, you need to pour 4 tbsp. l. a mixture of these funds with two glasses of boiling water. Put on fire and boil. It is advisable to keep on fire for about 20 minutes. Then let it brew. The infusion period lasts at least 6 hours. You can take this composition one glass at least three times a day.
Prevention
In order to protect yourself from such a problem, you need to pay attention to dietary nutrition. To prevent the formation of thick blood, the causes of this must be warned: it is necessaryexercise, and give up bad habits. You should pay attention to a he althy lifestyle. Because of this, athletes rarely have this problem.
Results
It should be noted that thick blood is a rather serious symptom. It never occurs just like that, so it is imperative to consult a doctor and urgently carry out treatment. Especially when it comes to small children, the elderly or pregnant women. It should also be noted that this symptom is most often found in men. If you eliminate this problem in time and treat infectious diseases, as well as engage in prevention, that is, eat he althy food, do not drink alcohol, drugs and do not smoke, as well as play sports and drink at least 2 liters of water a day, then there will never be problems with thick blood. What to do if these symptoms appear, we examined in detail.
With regards to treatment, as a rule, either traditional or folk is used. It should be noted that the latter methods simply imply blood thinning. However, it should be understood that it is mandatory to treat the cause, not the symptom. As soon as the influencing factors are eliminated, the blood will immediately return to normal.