What Does a Blood Clot Feel Like?

A blood clot itself may not be something that you directly feel. However, the signs and symptoms of blood clots vary depending on their location.

Normally, blood clotting is a natural mechanism of the body that prevents excessive blood loss when a blood vessel is injured. Platelets, proteins, and blood cells in the blood aggregate together to form theblood clot.

However, clots that form inside the vessels without an obvious injury are not normal and may be dangerous.Blood clotsare semi-solid masses of blood that may be immobile (thrombosis) and impede blood flow or dislodge to other parts of the body (embolism). Abnormal clots can be formed in arteries or veins. Depending on their location, this can result in tissue damage (clot in an artery) orpainand swelling (clot in a vein).Deep vein thrombosisis a clot in a major vein of the extremities, pelvis, and other areas. Deepvein clots, if dislodged, can travel through veins through the肺to the arteries in the lungs. This is referred to as apulmonary embolismand can be deadly. Blood clots can also lead to aheart attackorstroke.

Ablood clotitself may not be something that you directly feel. However, the signs and symptoms of blood clots vary depending on their location.

• When clots are present in an artery to theheart:
  • Chest painor discomfort
  • Shortness of breath
  • Sweating
  • Nausea
  • Light-headedness
  • Jaw, neck, shoulder, orarm pain
• When clots are present in an artery of the brain:
  • Difficulty speaking
  • Vision problems
  • Sudden and severedizziness
  • Numbness and/orweaknessin the face, arms or legs
• When clots are present in a vein in the arms or legs:
  • Sudden or gradualpain
  • Swelling
  • Redness
  • Tenderness
  • Warmth
• When clots are present in an artery of the lungs:
  • Sharpchest pain
  • Abnormal heartbeat
  • Shortness of breath
  • Sweating
  • Fever
  • Coughing up blood
• When clots are present in the artery of the abdomen:
  • Severeabdominal pain
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
• 当凝块出现在静脉of the kidney:
  • Blood in the urine
  • Fever
  • Nauseaorvomiting
  • High blood pressure
  • Sudden severeleg swelling
  • Troublebreathing
  • Pain on the sides of the abdomen, legs or thighs

Get medical help immediately, once you notice these symptoms.

The risk factors vary for clots forming in the artery (arterial clots) and the clots forming in the veins (venous clots). Each risk factor initiates clotting differently.

Some of the major risk factors in developing blood clots are:

• Pregnancy
• Prolonged inactivity
• Smoking
• Obesity
• Certain types ofcancer
• Oral contraceptives
• Trauma
• Age over 60 years
• 血凝块的家族病史
• Highcholesterol levels
• Long-standing inflammatory diseases
• High blood pressure
• Certain surgeries

Tests to evaluate patients for blood clots include:

• Venousultrasound
• Doppler ultrasound
• MRangiography
• 计算tomography (CT) angiography of the chest, abdomen, pelvis, head and neck
• Cerebral angiography
• D-Dimer test
• Chest X-ray
• Pulmonaryangiogram
• Duplex ultrasound

In addition to the above tests, other tests may also be performed to rule out any underlying conditions.

The blood clots can be dissolved using the following:

• Blood thinners (Anticoagulants): Prevent the formation of clots.
• Thrombolytics: Medication that helps in dissolving the clots.
• Catheter-directed thrombolysis: A procedure in which a catheter is used to deliver the clot-dissolving medicine at the site.
• Thrombectomy: Surgical removal of clots.

Catheter-directed溶栓或血栓切除术considered for arterial clots. Blood thinners and other medications can be used for venous clots.

Some of the dos and don’ts to follow are:

• Avoid getting injured.
• Avoid foods such as kale, spinach, brussels sprouts, chard,green tea,alcoholandcranberryjuice when you are taking blood-thinning medications.
• Avoid long hours of inactivity.
• Exercises, such aswalkingorswimming, may help healing of the clots.
• Avoid taking any medicines without the consent of the physician as somedrugsmay serious interact with blood clot medications.
• Use compression stockings.
• Take breaks while going for a long drive.
• Keep your weight under control.
• Talk to others if you feeldepressedor anxious.
• Be careful duringpregnancy.

Blood clots in arteries of the vital organs may lead to serious consequences, including death. Blood clots take weeks to months to resolve.