Blood Clots (cont.)
IN THIS ARTICLE
- Blood Clots Overview
- Blood Clots Causes
- Blood Clots Symptoms
- When to Seek Medical Care
- Exams and Tests
- Blood Clots Treatment
- Self-Care at Home
- Medical Treatment
- Medication
- Surgery
- Next Steps
- Follow-up
- Prevention
- Synonyms and Keywords
- Author and Editor
- Viewer Comments: Blood Clots - Describe Your Experience
Blood Clots Symptoms
Symptoms of a blood clot depend upon where it is located. Many times, the clot itself may cause no symptoms until it embolizes and becomes lodged in small blood vessels at distant sites in the body. The effects of the lack of blood supply to an affected organ will determine the symptoms.
- With atrial fibrillation, in which no
symptoms occur until a thrombus embolizes.
- If the clot
embolizes to an artery in the brain, the symptoms will be that of stroke.
- If the
artery involved supplies blood to the bowel, symptoms may include
abdominal pain and bloody bowel
movements.
- In a leg or arm, the blood clot or deep venous
thrombosis can act as a dam and block blood returning to the heart. This may
cause inflammation of the vein,
or thrombophlebitis.
Common symptoms include swelling, redness or discoloration, warmth, and
pain.
- The major complication of a deep venous thrombosis
occurs when the clot breaks off and travels to the lung, causing a
pulmonary embolism. Symptoms include
chest pain and
shortness of breath. This is a potentially
life-threatening condition depending upon the extent of the lung tissue that
loses blood supply.
- Symptoms of arterial clot depend upon which organ is
losing its blood supply.
- If it is located in a coronary artery, there may be
signs of heart attack.
- Cerebral artery occlusion by clot will manifest in signs of stroke.
- A patient with an arterial clot to an arm or leg will develop a painful, cool, pulseless extremity.
- If it is located in a coronary artery, there may be
signs of heart attack.
Next: When to Seek Medical Care »
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