What have you heard about deep vein thrombosis? If you’re like most people, you may know that it can come about from sitting too long at a time (such as on a plane), but you might not know much else about it.
Fact is, deep vein thrombosis is a serious, yet preventable kind of vein disease that can cause many complications for those who have it.
In most basic terms, this condition — called DVT for short — is a clotting disorder that affects veins deep inside the body, most often in the legs. After forming in the limbs, these clots can then break loose, travel through the bloodstream and get stuck in the lungs, blocking blood flow and its supply of life-giving oxygen. This is known as a pulmonary embolism, and it can be fatal. Approximately 2 million people each year will develop DVT, and unfortunately about 200,000 of them will be killed by it. With such a devastating total, this little-publicized condition kills more people every year than the combination of AIDS, breast cancer and motor vehicle accidents.
There isn’t necessarily a single profile of a person more likely to develop DVT, but there are several factors that can put you at greater risk of developing it. These factors include:
- Long periods of physical stagnation or disuse, such as when on medical bedrest or when traveling by plane or car for over three hours (without getting up to stretch)
- A change in blood chemistry, as seen when taking hormones, certain prescriptions or having transfusions during surgery
- Experiencing trauma, such as a broken bone
- Genetic conditions that affect blood clotting
We also find that people with a history of obesity, heart failure or smoking may have a higher chance of experiencing DVT and pulmonary embolism. Part of the challenge of treating DVT is that it doesn’t always show obvious symptoms. When it does present warning signs, you may notice things like discoloration, swelling, a warming sensation and pain in the affected leg that may initially feel like calf cramping. If you’re experiencing anything like that, or if you have any combination of the risk factors listed above, you should give us a call for a screening.
The Vein Center of Arizona has all the right tools to properly diagnose and care for DVT, including an ultrasound detection method and a variety of treatment methods that range from non-invasive compression socks to medications and surgical procedures. As with most vein diseases, DVT responds best to treatment that is delivered early on, so it’s important to contact us as soon as possible if you’re experiencing symptoms!