According to statistics, thrombosis is the third most common cardiovascular disease. It is preceded only by heart attack and stroke. Unfortunately, many people ignore its first symptoms. Meanwhile, hypercoagulability, as we are talking about here, is an extremely serious disease that can even lead to death.
What is thrombotic disease?
Blood clots form in the body of a person suffering from venous thrombosis, or venous thromboembolism. They narrow the lumen of blood vessels and impede proper blood flow. Most clots, as much as 90%, occur in the deep veins of the lower limbs, i.e. in the legs. The presence of clots causes quite characteristic symptoms: pain, swelling and redness of the limbs and a feeling of the so-called “heavy legs”. Detecting such ailments in a patient is sometimes a prerequisite for making a preliminary diagnosis, which is confirmed by specialized tests, including: ultrasound examination.
A clot, especially a new one, can also break off and travel through the bloodstream to the pulmonary vessels, causing a life-threatening embolism.
Factors increasing the risk of thrombosis
Various types of injuries, such as a blow or a cut, may be a factor that promotes the formation of blood clots. However, it must be remembered that the blood clotting mechanism itself is completely natural. It protects against excessive blood loss in the event of vascular disruption. Sometimes, however, something goes wrong and the process of repairing the damaged vessel continues instead of stopping.
The patient's age is also important. It is assumed that after the age of 40, the risk of developing deep vein thrombosis increases dramatically.
Unfortunately, hypercoagulability tends to come back. Therefore, people who have dealt with it in the past should be particularly vigilant. The chance that the disease will attack again is much higher than that it will occur for the first time.
In order for blood to flow freely in the veins, it requires muscle work. Long-term immobilization, e.g. caused by surgery, paralysis or even long-hour driving, promotes blood stasis and thus the formation of clots. Practicing sports can protect a person from developing thrombosis. All people who avoid movement and physical activity should remember this. Another factor associated with lack of exercise that may cause thrombosis is obesity.
Every woman who is taking or will be taking oral contraceptives should be aware that they can also cause thrombosis, but the risk is greatest during the first period of taking the pills, and then decreases. The increased risk of thrombotic disease will result from the high estrogen content.
Some people also have an increased tendency to develop blood clots. This condition is called thrombophilia. It may be congenital or acquired.
Thrombosis and genetic factors
The cause of congenital thrombosis, like any genetic disease, will be the presence of a change in DNA. Such a change may be a mutation of the prothrombin gene, i.e. blood coagulation factor II, or a mutation of factor V. How will the patient find out whether he is a carrier? By performing a simple and easily accessible genetic test.
What is the treatment of thrombotic disease?
Sometimes patients with deep vein thrombosis are referred for surgery to remove the clots that have already formed. However, treatment is usually limited to the administration of anticoagulants, i.e. drugs that thin the patient's blood. Such treatment usually lasts from several weeks to several months, but it gives a chance for full recovery. Unless the disease is congenital and not acquired. In the case of congenital thrombosis, only the symptoms of the disease can be alleviated, but its cause, i.e. a genetic mutation, cannot be eliminated.
