thrombosis disease how to protect yourself

When a person is healthy, his blood flows freely through the vessels, providing the body with nutrients and flushing out the waste products of tissue. In case of injury, a protective clotting mechanism (thickening with special proteins) is activated to stop bleeding. However, sometimes this reliable system does not work in our favor and fails. For example, when you suffer from atherosclerosis – plaques on the walls of blood vessels. When a defect forms on the surface of a plaque, the body seeks to patch it, including the blood coagulation mechanism. Blood cells stick together over the plaque to form a dense clot – a thrombus. The lumen of the vessel in this place narrows so that the blood cannot move, tissues further downstream starve and can die off. Most dangerous are blood clots that block arteries, and by cutting off the blood supply to the heart or brain, this process can cause a heart attack or stroke.

Fact 2. Symptoms may be atypical

This is a really insidious affliction. Most often, patients run to doctors with thrombosis of the vessels of the legs: pain and redness, thickening of varicose veins, cyanosis, heaviness. But the problem in deep veins is sometimes easy to confuse with stretching, and sometimes it can be completely asymptomatic. If there is a bursting pain in the leg, accompanied by edema, which does not pass on its own or increases, it is necessary to consult a specialist – a phlebologist. A regular visit to a phlebologist for a routine vein check in the absence of obvious problems is inappropriate. However, do not forget to undergo a free medical examination, which is required every three years for every adult under 90 years old. In recent years, thrombosis has become much younger, so even at 30 it will not be superfluous to check the vessels, too.

Fact 3. Profession matters

The reduced blood flow rate and the risk of blood clots are directly related to your daily routine. Venous congestion is a friend of office workaholics who do not extend their backs for hours. At risk are workers who are forced to fly frequently (and, accordingly, stay in a chair for a long time under conditions of reduced pressure). The list will be supplemented by long-distance drivers or those forced to be in a traffic jam for more than two hours. Find an opportunity to warm up every half hour or hour, this will reduce the risk of blood clots by 20 percent or more.

Fact 4. Illnesses increase the risk

It’s no secret that many people gain weight with age, and even if they feel good about it, their chance of getting thrombosis is three to four times higher. In the high-risk area there are people with diabetes, hypertensive patients, heart patients, cancer patients and people suffering from varicose veins. In addition, you need to monitor the composition of the blood and blood vessels for pregnant women and those who take oral contraceptives. Usually such people are under the supervision of a doctor and, if indicated, take blood thinners. Avoid prescribing aspirin yourself: this is done only after a comprehensive study by specialized specialists.

Fact 5. Destructive addictions

Oddly enough, what is commonly called bad habits directly affects the composition of the blood, increasing its viscosity. Alcohol, smoking, strong addiction to sweets, fatty, salty are in the lead. It is very important to drink plenty of plain water in order to reduce the imperceptible dehydration that is so damaging to the blood composition. If you smoke or have a sweet tooth, but cannot overcome yourself, at least carry with you at least a liter of water, and try to drink it during the day. In general, an adult needs to consume about 35 ml of water per kilogram of weight per day.