What to Know About Blood Clots — Acme Corp Wellness

Healthy blood is designed to clot. When blood clots, it prevents heavy bleeding. But, if a clot happens in a deep vein, it can be dangerous. This is called a deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Sometimes, the blood clot may move through the body and get stuck in the lungs. This is called a pulmonary embolism (PE).

Up to 100,000 Americans die from a DVT or PE every year. These clots kill more people than breast cancer, car collisions, and HIV/AIDS combined.

Signs of a clot

Signs of a DVT or PE include:

Swelling, tenderness, redness or warmth in one area of the body
Chest heaviness or pain
Sweating
Feeling out of breath
Weakness or fainting
Fast heart beat, rapid breathing
Shortness of breath
Pain with deep breathing
Feeling of impending doom

Know your risk

Certain things make you more likely to get a blood clot. They include:

Prolonged bed rest due to surgery or illness
Not moving a certain body part, such as a broken leg
Sitting for a long time, such as car or plane trips
Higher levels of estrogen from birth control pills, pregnancy or hormone replacement therapy
Medical conditions, such as cancer, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, heart disease, blood clotting disorders or lung disease
Obesity
Smoking
History of atrial fibrillation (A-fib)
Personal or family history or DVT

Reduce your risk

Talk about your risk with your doctor.

You can lower your risk of getting a blood clot by:

Getting up from sitting at least every two hours
Moving around after surgery or being in bed for a long time
Moving legs and feet while on plane trips
Wearing loose-fitting clothes while sitting for a long time
Exercising regularly
Wearing compression stockings if recommended by your doctor

Signs of a clot

Know your risk

Reduce your risk

What To Do