What Are the Different Types of Blood Clots?
Heart attacks are cardiovascular issues are some of the leading causes of death in the U.S. There are many reasons for this, such as poor diets and unhealthy lifestyles. It can also be complicated to understand all the different ways blood flow issues can arise.
There are tons of different types of blood clots, and symptoms of blood clots can be hard to spot. However, learning more about how they work can save your life and the lives of loved ones. It can help you know if it’s time to see a doctor or not.
Keep reading below to learn more about different types of blood clots and how they impact your body.
There Are Many Types of Blood Clots
Blood clots can vary in size and in the place they happen in the body. They can be caused by a build-up of plaque, or blood flow may be restricted due to muscle strain. COVID-19 can even affect blood flow, leading to problems throughout a person’s body.
When doctors find a blood clot in a person’s body, they immediately run tests to learn about its severity. Sometimes, the clots can be small and minor and can be treated with blood thinners. Other times though, they can be the start of a major issue.
If it’s in a bad place in your body, doctors may want to treat it immediately. They may book surgery to clear the clot so that it doesn’t restrict blood flow to other organs. If organs don’t get the blood and oxygen they need, there can be even worse issues down the road.
Keep reading below to learn more about some of the three basic types of blood clots.
Blood Clots In Arteries Can Be Devastating and Hard to Find
Arterial blood clots can severely impact a person since it restricts blood flow throughout the body. Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood to organs across the body, so if blood flow is blocked then the entire body is impacted. These kinds of blood clots can also be caused by many different things.
Sometimes, a buildup of plaque can block the regular blood flow. This can be the result of an unhealthy lifestyle or a poor diet that leads to more plaque in a person’s body. There can also be issues with nearby muscles or skeletal issues that lead to blockages.
Since arteries can impact the entire body, doctors can also have a hard time finding them. Most of the time, they need to investigate the area where a patient says they are feeling the most pain. They may need to put a patient under anesthesia so they can run a camera through their body, searching inside for arterial blood clots.
Clots in The Heart Can Require Immediate Surgery
Clots can also form in the most central part of a person’s cardiovascular system — the heart. This is the muscle responsible for pumping blood throughout the body, sending it through the tubes of arteries and veins. To do this, blood travel’s through the heart’s aortas.
However, these aortas can be blocked for similar reasons as arterial blockages. If that happens, the heart can start beating out of rhythm, disrupting the normal delivery of blood. This can result in a heart attack, and people may need immediate treatment to get healthy again.
Vein Blood Clots Can Feel Like a Sprain
Blood clots can also appear in a person’s veins, which take blood away from organs and back to the lungs. When they get to the lungs, they are replenished with oxygen that the body needs. Then, the blood cells complete the cycler again — returning to organs and delivering oxygen.
There are thousands of veins across a person’s body, and blood clots can form in all of them. Most of the time, they form as a result of plaque buildup as opposed to interference from other parts of the body. And most of the time, people may not even notice they have a blood clot.
It may feel like an intense sprain or a pulled muscle, but a blood clot can last longer than either of those common injuries. Exercising can help clear it, but people should check with their doctors first. Moving too much blood around the clot can damage the vein itself, leading to worse problems.
There Are Many Causes of Blood Clots
Blood clots are most commonly the result of a person’s poor diet or unhealthy lifestyle. Smoking greatly increases the chances of a person having blood clots. By inhaling smoke and ash, those small particles are placed on blood cells along with regular oxygen.
As a result, the blood literally gets thicker and becomes harder to pump. Poor diets with lots of sugar have a similar result, filling the bloodstream with unneeded plaque. Even not getting enough exercise can let regular levels of plaque build up over time, resulting in a blood clot.
People Can Get Clots After Surgery
One common way people get blood clots is by getting poor treatment from doctors after surgery. There are several medical devices used to keep a person’s blood moving during surgery. Sometimes, doctors need to artificially pump their hearts since anesthesia can affect how hearts work.
By taking control of the bloodstream like this, doctors open up the risk of improperly sending blood across a person’s body. It can be pumped too fast or not fast enough. Doctors may also administer too much medicine meant to prevent people from bleeding, leading to issues with pumping blood.
You can find more info online, but just know there is a reason doctors usually want to keep people inside the hospital after surgery. That way, they can immediately respond if something goes wrong while a person is recovering.
Stay Healthy and Avoid Blood Clots
The best way to avoid getting different types of blood clots is to stay healthy. Watch what you want and try not to pick up any dangerous habits like smoking or drinking too much. It also helps to get a lot of exercise, since it keeps blood pumping throughout your body.
There are tons of ways to start living a healthier lifestyle. To learn more about ways you can get healthy, just keep reading our website here.