|
HowToPreventHeartDisease.com |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Would DVT Lead To Heart Attack? Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a medical condition that occurs when a blood clot forms in a deep vein. These clots usually develop in the lower leg, thigh, or pelvis, but they can also occur in the arm. Sometimes it is also called economy class syndrome. During a long flight, the limited leg room in economy class seats causes passengers difficulty to move about thus raising the risk of blood pooling in the lower part of the legs to form clots. It can happen to anybody and it should not be ignored as it can lead to a life-threatening condition called pulmonary embolism. The latter occurs when there is a sudden blockage in a lung artery, usually due to a blood clot that travels to the lungs from a deep leg vein or DVT. A person with DVT will have common symptoms like pain, swelling and redness in the affected leg, particularly in the calf. On the other hand, a person with pulmonary embolism may feel breathless, experience chest pain and even collapse. Risk factors of DVT include previous DVT; previous pulmonary embolus; aging; smoking; injury to a vein caused by fractures, severe muscle injury or major surgery involving abdomen, pelvis, hip or legs; slow blood flow caused by confinement to bed, limited movement, sitting for long time or paralysis; increased estrogen caused by birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy and pregnancy; and certain chronic diseases such as heart disease (congestive heart failure), lung disease and cancer.
Heart disease and most strokes are caused by blood clots in arteries, not veins. Arteries carry blood away from the heart, and veins bring blood back to the heart. Nevertheless, DVT and heart disease do share a few common risk factors like smoking and aging. In addition, a history of heart attack and/or heart failure and the presence of a pacemaker or implanted defibrillator can also raise the risk of DVT. Traditionally, blood clot in vein like DVT does not cause heart attack or stroke. But a Danish study suggested that when one had DVT, the clot might follow years later in arteries, causing heart attacks and strokes, especially in the first year after having the conditions. The findings were published November 24, 2007 in journal ‘The Lancet’. More than 205,000 Danish adults age 40 and older were included in the study. Of the participants, almost 26,200 had DVT, nearly 17,000 had pulmonary embolism, and more than 163,000 had no history of DVT or pulmonary embolism. Participants were followed for up to 20 years. For DVT and pulmonary embolism patients, that period began when they left the hospital after DVT or pulmonary embolism treatment. During the study, heart attacks and strokes were most common among patients with DVT and pulmonary embolism, particularly in the first year after having a DVT or pulmonary embolism. Compared to people who had never had a DVT or pulmonary embolism, heart attack risk rose by 60 percent and stroke risk more than doubled in DVT patients in their first year after having a DVT, and heart attacks were more than twice as common and strokes were almost 3 times as common in the year after pulmonary embolism. While the risk was reduced over the years, it remained about 20 to 40 percent higher than normal. Good news is that DVT is preventable and treatable if discovered early. Ultrasound scans and pulmonary imaging tests can be used to confirm the condition. Patients with DVT are usually prescribed an anticoagulant (blood thinning) medicine, such as warfarin. The medicine should be taken for at least a few months or sometimes longer. Patients will need to have regular blood tests so that the doctor can know whether the medication is working. Staying physically active throughout the day is perhaps the best way to prevent such condition. If one cannot move around much like when traveling or having had surgery, he or she should take extra precaution such as using a graduated compression stocking and wearing loose-fitting clothes. Meanwhile, one can reduce the risk by maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding a sedentary lifestyle.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Copyright
2007-2012 © HowToPreventHeartDisease.com . All Rights Reserved.d........ |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
