Many things can cause leg pain and swelling, but if your symptoms result from a blood clot in a deep vein in your leg, this can be dangerous. Blood clots can happen to anyone at any time.
Blood clots can develop when the blood thickens and clumps together. When a clot forms, it is called Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT).
Blood clots in a deep vein usually occur in the lower leg or thigh. Deep vein thrombosis has classic symptoms, including swelling, pain, warmth, and redness in the leg, and can cause serious illness. Having other diseases or disorders can also increase your chance of getting a blood clot. These include stroke, paralysis (inability to move), chronic heart disease, high blood pressure, a surgical procedure, or recent cancer treatment.
Women taking hormone therapy or birth control pills or in the first six weeks after giving birth are also at higher risk. The same goes for people who smoke or are over 60 years old. But deep vein thrombosis can occur at any age.
Blood clots can be treated at the USA Vein Clinics to stop the blood clot from growing anywhere in the leg, to keep it from breaking off and going to the lungs, or to reduce your chance of developing another blood clot.
What is a deep vein thrombosis or a pulmonary embolism?
Although the body normally forms clots to prevent bleeding, a Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) or Pulmonary Embolism (PTE) occurs when a larger than normal clot forms and causes symptoms.
Deep Vein Thrombosis is a thrombus that usually forms in a deep vein in the leg or pelvis. Rarely does it affect the arm, liver, or brain veins.
PE is a thrombus that migrates from a deep vein in the lower extremity and compromises the lung. They are not usually a cause of “cerebral infarction” or “heart attack.”
Why are they serious diseases?
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) can cause short-term and long-term pain and swell in the leg. It can move to the lung, and this can cause death. Rarely, DVT is massive and causes arterial changes that lead to leg involvement.
PTEs can cause short-term and long-term breathing problems. They can sometimes cause death if they are very large and medical help is not sought early, or they occur in patients with previous debilitating illnesses.
What can cause a thrombosis?
Risk factors are usually grouped into three categories. The first is immobility: being in bed without moving for a few days, leg cast and inability to stand or walk, and air travel for 6 hours or more. The second category includes injuries to blood vessels: broken bones, accidents, major or prolonged surgery, and lastly, “Hypercoagulability,” which is a tendency to over-clot: medical
conditions (such as Cancer), hormones (estrogen, pregnancy) and genetic risk factors/family history of PE/DVT.
In high-risk situations such as major surgery or prolonged immobility, your doctor will recommend blood thinners to prevent DVT or PE.
In addition, it is recommended to elevate the legs with the support of a pillow and another soft surface, as well as use a strong compression stocking.
Acute DVT can be treated at the USA Vein Clinics.
DVT and PE are treated with anticoagulants, highly effective drugs in preventing thrombus progression or migration, and have been tested in multiple clinical trials. You can usually start with injections followed by pills, pills alone, or injections alone. Your doctor will recommend the options that they think are best for you.
The length of treatment will depend on your risk of having another blood clot and your risk of bleeding, but it is usually at least three months. The main side effect is bleeding, which can be: minor (nosebleeds/gums, bruising) or major (coughing up blood, vomiting blood, urine or stool, cerebral).
What are the causes of a blood clot in the leg?
Blood clots can form in the leg when something decreases or changes the blood flow in the veins.
Risk factors for a DVT include:
Injury to a vein caused by the following:
- Fractures in the pelvis or legs
- Serious muscle injuries
- Recent surgery (especially hip and knee surgery)
Symptoms of a blood clot in the leg
The signs and symptoms of a blood clot in the leg that the patient may manifest are nonspecific, have variable frequency and severity may include:
- Swelling in the affected leg
- Pain in the leg that feels like a cramp or swelling.
- Redness or spots on the skin.
- Sensation of heat in the affected extremity.
A difference of 3 cm in the circumference of both calves, pitting edema, and visible superficial collateral veins may be the most specific symptoms of a blood clot in the leg.
Diagnosis
The clinical history explained by the patient and the physical examination help to determine the probability that the patient presents a DVT even before carrying out complementary tests.
Diagnosis is typically confirmed by evaluation of Doppler flow by ultrasound.
The need for other tests (blood coagulation analysis) and their choice and sequence depend on the probability before the evaluation and sometimes on the ultrasound results.
Forecast
Lower limb DVT is associated with a 3% risk of pulmonary embolism without adequate treatment, whereas upper limb DVT is very rare.
The risk of recurrence of DVT is minimal in patients with transitory risk factors (surgery, trauma, immobility) and maximum in patients with persistent risk factors (e.g., Cancer).
Treatment
Treatment is primarily aimed at preventing pulmonary embolism and secondarily at symptom relief and prevention of recurrence of DVT, chronic venous insufficiency, and postphlebitic syndrome.
All patients should receive anticoagulants, initially with subcutaneous heparin injections for a short time, followed by long-term treatment with an oral anticoagulant.
In addition, it is recommended to elevate the legs with the support of a pillow and another soft surface, as well as use a strong compression stocking.
Acute DVT can be treated at the USA Vein Clinics.
DVT and PE are treated with anticoagulants, highly effective drugs in preventing thrombus progression or migration, and have been tested in multiple clinical trials. You can usually start with injections followed by pills, pills alone, or injections alone. Your doctor will recommend the options that they think are best for you.
The length of treatment will depend on your risk of having another blood clot and your risk of bleeding, but it is usually at least three months. The main side effect is bleeding, which can be: minor (nosebleeds/gums, bruising) or major (coughing up blood, vomiting blood, urine or stool, cerebral).
What is the most important thing for the patient to remember?
DVT and PE are serious and can lead to life-threatening complications. These can be prevented in high-risk situations.
Tell your doctor if you can identify with any of the above-stated symptoms of a blood clot in the leg or witness bleeding or if you continue to have shortness of breath after three months of anticoagulation.
Give us a call to request an appointment.
The signs and symptoms of a blood clot in the leg that the patient may manifest are nonspecific, have variable frequency and severity may include:
- Swelling in the affected leg
- Pain in the leg that feels like a cramp or swelling.
- Redness or spots on the skin.
- Sensation of heat in the affected extremity.
A difference of 3 cm in the circumference of both calves, pitting edema, and visible superficial collateral veins may be the most specific symptoms of a blood clot in the leg.
Diagnosis
The clinical history explained by the patient and the physical examination help to determine the probability that the patient presents a DVT even before carrying out complementary tests.
Diagnosis is typically confirmed by evaluation of Doppler flow by ultrasound.
The need for other tests (blood coagulation analysis) and their choice and sequence depend on the probability before the evaluation and sometimes on the ultrasound results.
