Thrombosis is a disease in which blood clots form in the deep veins, called blood clots. The danger lies in the fact that such a clot can break off at any time and clog the vessel. A blockage in the pulmonary artery causes thromboembolism and can be fatal.
What causes lower limb thrombosis?
Under normal conditions, a person's blood coagulates when wounded. If there is no damage, but clotting nevertheless occurs, a blood clot forms. This should be feared by those who:
- over fifty;
- leads a sedentary lifestyle (especially for the elderly);
- is overweight or obese;
- recently had major joint or abdominal surgery;
- takes combined oral contraceptives that contain estrogen;
- abuses alcohol, smokes.
Lower vein thrombosislimbs may occur in pregnant women. This is due to the fact that blood clotting during pregnancy is better than in the normal state. The uterus is constantly growing, thereby complicating blood circulation. There is a very high risk of thrombosis during caesarean section.
Symptoms of a blood clot in the leg
Venous thrombosis is dangerous because at first it can proceed without any visible manifestations. As the clot grows and moves up the leg, the lower leg swells and starts to hurt. If your foot suddenly swells up without physical damage or injury, see a specialist immediately. He will conduct an ultrasound examination and prescribe a series of tests that will establish the problem. Your doctor may also send you for an angiogram, a procedure in which a special dye is injected into your veins. This is done in order to trace the movement of the blood clot.
If the symptoms of a blood clot in your leg are confirmed, your doctor will most likely prescribe you anti-clotting drugs in the form of injections or tablets. Injections can be quite painful, so you should take care of painkillers in advance. If the thrombus is very large, special dissolving preparations are injected into it. This procedure is called thrombolysis. There is another effective method of treatment: a cava filter is inserted into the internal vena cava. This is done in order to prevent a blood clot from reaching the lung. The kava filter is usually prescribed for those who are allergic to medications. If you have found all the symptoms of a blood clot in your leg listed above, your doctor will recommendtwo to three hours a day wear compression stockings, which can be purchased at a pharmacy. Wearing stockings is also an excellent prevention of thrombosis.
How long does the treatment take?
It depends, first of all, on the degree of the disease. It is necessary not only to destroy the thrombus, but also to eliminate the risk of its recurrence. Tune in to a long process of treatment - most likely, it will last at least three months. In particularly difficult cases, maintenance therapy continues for life.
How to prevent thrombosis?
Do the symptoms of a blood clot in your leg bother you? Wonderful. However, if you are at risk, it makes sense to think about prevention. If you have a long flight, do not wear tight clothing. Give up drinking alcohol, try not to sit still - periodically move your legs, change your position and do self-massage of the calves. If the flight lasts more than six hours, we advise you to wear compression stockings.
That's it. In this article, we have detailed the symptoms of a blood clot in the leg and ways to prevent thrombosis. We hope this information was useful to you.
