Although there have been concerns and discussions about blood clotting following a bout of Covid infection, many of us don’t know that it can happen because of a host of body conditions that we may not be paying attention to. To understand those reasons, it is important to understand why blood clots occur in the first place.
Blood clots are the body’s reaction to damaged blood vessels, which are a consequence of oxidative stress and inflammation. They can develop to stop bleeding in tissues and heal them in response to an injury or the trauma your body experiences during surgeries or medical procedures. They can also form because of damage to heart arteries when plaques rupture. Normally, blood clots dissolve or break up when they’re no longer needed. But sometimes, a dislocated clot can travel through blood vessels to a different part of the body causing problems of blockage.
Know your triggers
What are the conditions under which blood can curdle faster and form clots? Here are some reasons:
Vitamin B12, B6 and folic acid deficiency: These three are known to break down a protein called homocysteine. High homocysteine levels may result in formation of blood clots, raise the number of free radical cells and may impair normal blood vessel function. That’s how their deficiency is correlated with the thickening of blood.
Family history: Some of us inherit genetic conditions and certain deficiencies, which can increase the risk of blood clots. Such patients usually complain of developing a blood clot in the leg vessels. This condition is called deep venous thrombosis (DVT), which can also occur in other parts of the body, including the brain, eyes, liver and kidneys.
Cancer: This disease releases substances that thicken the blood and accelerate clot formation. Certain chemotherapy drugs inflame the blood vessels and veins as well as clog them with bits of dead cancer cells. Besides anti-hormone therapies like Tamoxifen or targetted therapies like Avastin are known to encourage blood thickening. Five to 25 per cent of cancer patients (particularly those with metastasis) get blood clots.
Pregnancy: Since this is a pro-coagulant state in the body, largely to reduce blood loss during labour and delivery, a pregnant woman may develop blood clots more easily. Estrogen, either from pregnancy, birth control medication or hormone therapy, can increase the concentration of clotting factors in the blood.
Ageing: Once a person crosses the age of 40, their body tends to move to a pro-coagulant state. Inactivity during this phase, like bed rest or limited movements, may impair blood flow, leading to clotting.
Obesity: The body is in a pro-inflammatory state when you are overweight. Chronic inflammation in obesity may lead to vascular abnormalities and encourage clot formation.
Autoimmune diseases: The immune system mistakenly creates antibodies that attack tissues in the body. These antibodies can cause blood clots to form in arteries and veins.
What are symptoms of blood clots?
These usually manifest as pain, tenderness, redness and swelling in body parts or a sudden gush of warm feeling to these inflamed parts. You may have trouble speaking, go through vision problems, experience dizzy spells, headaches or a weakness in your limbs. There could be breathing difficulties, sweating, nausea and fever too.
How do you know if your blood is clotting?
A series of blood tests can evaluate levels of clotting factors and each blood cell type. If clotting seems inevitable, then imaging scans like ultrasound and CT can locate the clot.
How to treat blood clots?
Treatment protocols involve use of anti-coagulants, oral or injectable, compression stockings for lower limbs. Stay hydrated at all times and ensure you have course-corrected lifestyle markers like diet, sleep and exercise.