A blood clot is a gel-like mass of blood that can form as a natural part of wound healing.
In most cases, blood clots are harmless.
Blood clots can also form in vessels if a blood vessel gets damaged.
Verywell / Emily Roberts
As part of the healing process, the clot usually dissolves.
But if it doesn’t or if an unnecessary clot forms, it can become harmful.
A blood clot that prevents or limits the flow of blood is called a thrombosis.
Thromboses are the most common cause of death in developed countries.
Normal Blood Clotting
All injuries cause damage to blood vessels.
A clot then forms inside the blood vessel.
Without this process, minor injuries could cause uncontrolled bleeding.
Blood clots are made up of two elements:plateletsandfibrin.
A blood clot consists of platelets and fibrin strands, as well as trapped red blood cells.
The strands of fibrin bind the platelets together and essentially tighten the clot to make it stable.
Thrombosis
The clotting mechanism also cancause clots to form in ways that are harmfula condition called thrombosis.
This prevents oxygenated blood from reaching any areas fed by that artery.
When a blood clot forms in the arteries, it is called arterial thrombosis.
Veins, on the other hand, get larger as they return blood to the heart.
When a blood clot forms in the veins is called venous thromboembolism.
Symptoms
Thesigns and symptoms of a blood clotdepend on where the clot is located.
But a blood clot can go undetected for days or even weeks if it doesn’t produce any symptoms.
A clot in an artery may bring on moderate to severe pain that develops quickly, for example.
These blood clots often go unnoticed and can become harmful if they break off and travel through the bloodstream.
If a blood clot blocks an artery to the heart, the result can be aheart attack.
If blood to the brain is blocked, the result can be a stroke.
But abnormal blood clotting triggers when there are problems with blood flow.
However, these are not the only signs that should signal a call to emergency care.
Get routine exercise, keep your weight in a healthy range, and avoid smoking.
Quitting smoking is particularly important for blood clots since smoking can cause inflammation that promotes thrombosis.
Walking is generally prescribed after surgery to help prevent blood clotting and improve circulation.
You might also be asked to wear compression gear to apply gentle pressure to prevent blood from pooling.
Your provider is also likely to put you on an anticoagulant, such as warfarin.
Summary
Blood clots can be a normal part of the body’s normal healing process.
Fortunately, there are many medications that can prevent and treat blood clots effectively.
Medline Plus.Blood Clots
National Institutes of Health.Blood Clots Explained
Ashorobi D, Ameer MA, Fernandez R.Thrombosis.
In: StatPearls [Internet].
University of Utah.Deep Vein Thrombosis.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Pulmonary Embolism
Yale Medicine.Blood Clots in the Veins, Heart, and Lungs.
American Society of Hematology.Blood Clots.
2023;22(11):103447. doi:10.1016/j.autrev.2023.103447
American Heart Association.Understand Your Risk for Excessive Blood Clotting.
J Thromb Haemost 2009; 7:2035. doi:10.1111/j.1538-7836.2009.03635.x
National Blood Clot Alliance.Signs and Symptoms of Blood Clots.
Weitz JI, Fredenburgh JC, Eikelboom JW.A Test In Context: D-Dimer.
J Am Coll Cardiol 2017; 70:2411. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2017.09.024
