Blood Clots Conditions & Treatment

Clotting is a natural response by the body that helps prevent excessive blood loss from injuries. However, when there is too much of the clotting protein fibrin, blood clots can occur. Blood clots can dislodge and travel to the kidneys, heart, lungs and brain.

Clotting Factors

• If the blood clotting mechanism is altered, by disease or medication, excessive bleeding or excessive clotting can occur. Both conditions are potentially life-threatening and need prompt treatment, especially in the case of blood clots.

Diseases That Influence Clotting

• Thrombocythemia, which occurs when your body makes too many red blood cells, and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, a condition that produces clots in small blood vessels, are two conditions known to cause clotting disorders.

Additional Risk Factors

• Obesity and diabetes are risk factors for blood clots because they can lead to atherosclerosis, plaque buildup in arteries. The plaque can sometimes crack, making blood clots form to seal the crack.

Blood Clots in the Limbs

• Blood clots can form in the veins of limbs, typically after surgery when the patient is the least mobile. Staying in the same position for a great length of time can cause blood to build up in one spot and clot.

Treatments

• Blood clots are commonly treated with the anti-coagulant drugs like Lovenox, Arixtra and Coumadin. They limit the clotting process by inhibiting the fibrin in the blood.