Blood Clots Explained: What They Are and How They Affect Your Health

Blood clots are semi-solid or gel-like masses that form in your arteries and veins. While blood clots play a crucial role in stopping bleeding when you're injured, clots that form without injury can be dangerous and even life-threatening. These abnormal clots can travel through the bloodstream, potentially blocking blood flow to vital organs like the heart, lungs, or brain. This blog will explore the truth and uncover unknown information about blood clots.

What is a Blood Clot?

A blood clot is a semi-solid mass of blood cells and other substances that form in blood vessels. Platelets, a type of blood cell, and proteins in plasma, the liquid part of blood, work together to stop the bleeding by forming a clot over the injury. A blood clot may look like a clump of reddish jelly held in place with netting. A closer look at a blood clot may show cells that look like tiny plates. These are platelets and the netting is fibrin (a protein found in the blood). When blood clots form within blood vessels they can obstruct blood flow, a condition called thrombosis. If a clot in an artery breaks free and travels through the circulatory system, it can cause blockages affecting the heart, lungs, and other organs. Not all clots are life threatening, in fact, some work to help the body heal. After falling and scraping your knee, the “scab” that forms is a blood clot!

Dangers of Blood Clots

Blood clots are so dangerous because if they form and travel through the circulatory system, if an artery is blocked, it can prevent blood flow to important parts of the body, such as the heart and lungs. Thrombosis affects up to 900,000 people in the United States per year and kills up to 100,000. Deep vein blood clots typically occur in the lower leg or thigh, which when enter the circulatory system and create the blockage. Depending on the type and location, blood clots can develop slowly over weeks or can happen quickly in a matter of days, hours, or even minutes. This makes having blood clots unpredictable, which can be dangerous. Blood clots can be painful or uncomfortable, similar to a pulled muscle or a charley horse, but may differ in that the leg (or arm) may be swollen, slightly discolored, and warm. Knowing the signs of blood clots is very important for physical health.

Benefits of Blood Clotting

Blood clots prevent excessive bleeding when a blood vessel is injured. Platelets (a type of blood cell) and proteins in your plasma (the liquid part of blood) work together to stop the bleeding by forming a clot over the injury. Having blood clots can activate immune cells and increase the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Fibrin, the main component of blood clots, acts as a scaffold for immune cells and promotes their recruitment and activation at the site of injury or infection. Any form of scab or dry blood that prevents the damaged area from continuous bleeding is a blood clot.

What Causes Blood Clots? (Risk Factors)

Many factors can lead to excessive blood clotting, leading to limited or blocked blood flow. Some include old age, obesity, pregnancy, sitting for long periods of time, cancer, smoking, diabetes, and inflammation in the body. The genetic source of excessive blood clotting is less common and is usually due to genetic defects. These defects often occur in the proteins needed for blood clotting and can also occur with the substances that delay or dissolve blood clots. Certain medical conditions can contribute to blood clots, including:

• Vasculitis is a disorder that causes the body's blood vessels to become inflamed. Platelets may stick to areas where the blood vessels are damaged and form clots.

• Diabetes increases the risk of plaque buildup in the arteries, which can cause dangerous blood clots.

• Heart failure is a condition in which the heart is damaged or weakened. When the heart can't pump enough blood to meet the body's needs, blood flow slows which can cause clots to form.

• Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat. Atrial fibrillation can cause blood to pool in the upper chambers of the heart and can cause clots to form.

• Overweight and obesity refer to body weight that's greater than what is considered healthy. These conditions can lead to inflammation and damage the lining of the blood vessels.

• Metabolic syndrome is the name for a group of risk factors that increases your chance of having heart disease and other health problems, including an increased risk of forming blood clots.

• Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a condition where blood clots form in the veins deep in the limbs. A blood clot in a deep vein can break off and travel through the bloodstream. If the clot travels to the lungs and blocks blood flow, the condition is called pulmonary embolism.

• Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a narrowing of the peripheral arteries, most commonly in the arteries of the pelvis and legs. PAD is similar to coronary artery disease and carotid artery disease. All three of these conditions are caused by narrowed and blocked arteries in various critical regions of the body. Hardened arteries (or atherosclerosis) in the coronary artery region, restricts the blood supply to the heart muscle. (View an illustration of coronary arteries.) Carotid artery disease refers to atherosclerosis in the arteries that supply blood to the brain.

• Atherosclerosis: is a disease in which plaque (fat, cholesterol and other deposits) builds up in the wall of an artery. Plaque formations can grow large enough to greatly reduce the blood flow through an artery. When a plaque formation becomes brittle or inflamed, it may rupture, causing a blood clot to form. A clot may further narrow the artery or completely block it.

Solutions to Blood Clots

Blood clots can be prevented through a combination of lifestyle changes, medical interventions, and awareness of risk factors. Regular physical activity is crucial, as it improves circulation and prevents blood from pooling, especially in the legs. Avoiding smoking, which damages blood vessels and increases clotting risk, is another key preventative measure. Being aware of genetic or pre-existing conditions, like deep vein thrombosis or certain heart diseases, allows for proactive management to prevent clots. Using prescribed medications, such as blood thinners, can also decrease the chances of blood clots forming.

Sources:

professional, Cleveland Clinic medical. “Blood Clots - the Good, the Bad and When to Worry.” Cleveland Clinic, 1 May 2024, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/17675-blood-clots.

Hematology, American Society Of. “Blood Clots.” Hematology.Org, www.hematology.org/education/patients/blood-clots#:~:text=Platelets%20(a%20type%20of%20blood,after%20the%20injury%20has%20healed.

Medicine, Yale. “Blood Clots in Veins, Heart and Lungs.” Yale Medicine, Yale Medicine, 22 May 2017, www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/blood-clots-in-veins-heart-and-lungs#:~:text=However%2C%20when%20blood%20clots%20form,organs%E2%80%94potentially%20shutting%20them%20down.

“Risk Factors for Excessive Blood Clotting.” Www.Heart.Org, 7 Nov. 2024, www.heart.org/en/health-topics/venous-thromboembolism/understand-your-risk-for-excessive-blood-clotting#:~:text=Blood%20clots%20can%20travel%20to,organ%20damage%20or%20even%20death.

Blood Clots Explained: What They Are and How They Affect Your Health

Blood clots are semi-solid or gel-like masses that form in your arteries and veins. While blood clots play a crucial role in stopping bleeding when you're injured, clots that form without injury can be dangerous and even life-threatening. These abnormal clots can travel through the bloodstream, potentially blocking blood flow to vital organs like the heart, lungs, or brain. This blog will explore the truth and uncover unknown information about blood clots.

What is a Blood Clot?

A blood clot is a semi-solid mass of blood cells and other substances that form in blood vessels. Platelets, a type of blood cell, and proteins in plasma, the liquid part of blood, work together to stop the bleeding by forming a clot over the injury. A blood clot may look like a clump of reddish jelly held in place with netting. A closer look at a blood clot may show cells that look like tiny plates. These are platelets and the netting is fibrin (a protein found in the blood). When blood clots form within blood vessels they can obstruct blood flow, a condition called thrombosis. If a clot in an artery breaks free and travels through the circulatory system, it can cause blockages affecting the heart, lungs, and other organs. Not all clots are life threatening, in fact, some work to help the body heal. After falling and scraping your knee, the “scab” that forms is a blood clot!

Dangers of Blood Clots

Blood clots are so dangerous because if they form and travel through the circulatory system, if an artery is blocked, it can prevent blood flow to important parts of the body, such as the heart and lungs. Thrombosis affects up to 900,000 people in the United States per year and kills up to 100,000. Deep vein blood clots typically occur in the lower leg or thigh, which when enter the circulatory system and create the blockage. Depending on the type and location, blood clots can develop slowly over weeks or can happen quickly in a matter of days, hours, or even minutes. This makes having blood clots unpredictable, which can be dangerous. Blood clots can be painful or uncomfortable, similar to a pulled muscle or a charley horse, but may differ in that the leg (or arm) may be swollen, slightly discolored, and warm. Knowing the signs of blood clots is very important for physical health.