If you develop signs or symptoms of DVT , contact your doctor. If you develop signs or symptoms of a pulmonary embolism PE — a life-threatening complication of deep vein thrombosis — seek emergency medical help. The main causes of DVT are damage to a vein from surgery or trauma and inflammation due to infection or injury. Many things can increase your risk of developing DVT.
The more risk factors you have, the greater your risk of DVT. Risk factors for DVT include:. Pulmonary embolism PE. PE is a potentially life-threatening complication associated with DVT. It occurs when a blood vessel in your lung becomes blocked by a blood clot thrombus that travels to your lung from another part of your body, usually your leg. It's important to get immediate medical help if you have signs and symptoms of PE. Sudden shortness of breath, chest pain while inhaling or coughing, rapid breathing, rapid pulse, feeling faint or fainting, and coughing up blood may occur with a PE.
If you're on a plane, stand or walk occasionally. If you can't do that, exercise your lower legs. Try raising and lowering your heels while keeping your toes on the floor, then raising your toes with your heels on the floor.
Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Blood clot in leg vein Open pop-up dialog box Close. Blood clot in leg vein A blood clot in a leg vein may cause pain, warmth and tenderness in the affected area.
DVT can be very dangerous and is considered a medical emergency. If the clot also known as a thrombus breaks loose and travels through the bloodstream, it can lodge in the lung. This blockage in the lung, called a pulmonary embolism, can make it difficult to breathe and may even cause death. Blood clots in the thigh are more likely to cause a pulmonary embolism than those in the calf. Many factors can contribute to the formation of a DVT.
The more risk factors a person has, the greater the risk of having a DVT. However, even people without these risk factors can form a DVT.
Some people with DVT in the leg have either no warning signs at all or very vague symptoms. If any of the following warning signs or symptoms are present, it is important to see a doctor for evaluation:. DVT can be difficult to diagnose, especially if the patient has no symptoms. Diagnosis is also challenging because of the similarities between symptoms of DVT and those of other conditions, such as a pulled muscle, an infection, a clot in a superficial vein thrombophlebitis , a fracture and arthritis.
If DVT is suspected, the doctor will immediately send the patient to a vascular laboratory or a hospital for testing, which may include a blood test, Doppler ultrasound, venogram, MRI or angiogram. If tests indicate a clot is present, the doctor will make a recommendation regarding treatment. Depending on the location of the clot, the patient may need hospitalization.
The dye travels up the leg and can be detected by X-ray , which will highlight a gap in the blood vessel where a clot is stopping the flow of blood. Treatment for DVT usually involves taking anticoagulant medicines. These reduce the blood's ability to clot and stop existing clots getting bigger. Heparin and warfarin are 2 types of anticoagulant often used to treat DVT.
Heparin is usually prescribed first because it works immediately to prevent further clotting. After initial treatment, you may also need to take warfarin to prevent another blood clot forming. These medications include rivaroxaban and apixaban, and they've been shown to be as effective as heparin and warfarin with less serious side effects.
You'll also be prescribed compression stockings to wear every day, which will improve your symptoms and help prevent complications. Read more about treating DVT. If you need to go into hospital for surgery, a member of your care team will assess your risk of developing a blood clot while you're there. If you're at risk of developing DVT, there are a number of things you can do to prevent a blood clot occurring, both before you go into hospital.
These include temporarily stopping taking the combined contraceptive pill, and while you're in hospital, such as wearing compression stockings. When you leave hospital, your care team may also make some recommendations to help prevent DVT returning or complications developing. These may include:. When taking a long-distance journey 6 hours or more by plane, train or car, you should take steps to avoid getting DVT. Drink plenty of water, perform simple leg exercises and take regular, short walking breaks.
Read more about preventing DVT. When you're inactive your blood tends to collect in the lower parts of your body, often in your lower legs. This is usually nothing to worry about because when you start to move, your blood flow increases and moves evenly around your body. However, if you're unable to move for a long period of time — such as after an operation, because of an illness or injury, or during a long journey — your blood flow can slow down considerably.
A slow blood flow increases the chances of a blood clot forming. If you have to go into hospital for an operation or procedure, your risk of getting a blood clot increases. This is because DVT is more likely to occur when you're unwell or inactive, or less active than usual. As a patient, your risk of developing DVT depends on the type of treatment you're having. You may be at increased risk of DVT if any of the following apply:.
You may also be at increased risk of DVT if you're much less active than usual because of an operation or serious injury and have other DVT risk factors, such as a family history of the condition. When you're admitted to hospital you'll be assessed for your risk of developing a blood clot and, if necessary, given preventative treatment.
If the wall of a blood vessel is damaged, it may become narrowed or blocked, which can cause a blood clot to form. Blood vessels can be damaged by injuries such as broken bones or severe muscle damage.
Sometimes, blood vessel damage that occurs during surgery can cause a blood clot, particularly in operations on the lower half of your body. Conditions such as vasculitis inflammation of the blood vessels , varicose veins and some forms of medication, such as chemotherapy , can also damage blood vessels.
Your risk of getting DVT is increased if you have a condition that causes your blood to clot more easily than normal. These conditions include:. During pregnancy, blood clots more easily. It's the body's way of preventing too much blood being lost during childbirth. DVTs are also rare in pregnancy, although pregnant women are up to 10 times more likely to develop thrombosis than non-pregnant women of the same age. A clot can form at any stage of pregnancy and up to 6 weeks after the birth.
Having thrombophilia a condition where the blood has an increased tendency to clot , or having a parent, or brother or sister, who's had a thrombosis, increase your risk of developing a DVT during pregnancy. LMWH is an anticoagulant, which means it prevents the blood clot getting bigger.
It's given by injection and doesn't affect your developing baby. The combined contraceptive pill and hormone replacement therapy HRT both contain the female hormone oestrogen. Oestrogen causes the blood to clot a bit more easily than normal, so your risk of getting DVT is slightly increased. There's no increased risk from the progestogen-only contraceptive pill. Anticoagulant medicines prevent blood clots getting bigger. They can also help stop part of the blood clot breaking off and becoming lodged in another part of your bloodstream an embolism.
Although they're often referred to as "blood-thinning" medicines, anticoagulants don't actually thin the blood. They alter proteins within it, which prevents clots forming so easily. Heparin and warfarin are 2 types of anticoagulants that are used to treat DVT. After this initial treatment, you may also need to take warfarin to prevent another blood clot forming. The dose of standard unfractionated heparin to treat a blood clot varies significantly from person to person, so the dosage must be carefully monitored and adjusted if necessary.
You may need to stay in hospital for 5 to 10 days and have frequent blood tests to ensure you receive the right dose. LMWH works differently from standard heparin.
It contains small molecules, which means its effects are more reliable and you won't have to stay in hospital and be monitored. In rare cases, heparin can also cause an extreme reaction that makes existing blood clots worse and causes new clots to develop. This reaction, and weakening of your bones, is less likely to occur when taking LMWH. Warfarin is taken as a tablet. You may need to take it after initial treatment with heparin to prevent further blood clots occurring.
Your doctor may recommend that you take warfarin for 3 to 6 months. In some cases, it may need to be taken for longer, even for life. As with standard heparin, the effects of warfarin vary from person to person. You'll need to be closely monitored by having frequent blood tests to ensure you're taking the right dosage. When you first start taking warfarin, you may need to have 2 to 3 blood tests a week until your regular dose is decided.
After this, you should only need to have a blood test every 4 weeks at an anticoagulant outpatient clinic. Warfarin can be affected by your diet, any other medicines you're taking, and by how well your liver is working. Warfarin isn't recommended for pregnant women who are given heparin injections for the full length of treatment. Rivaroxaban comes in tablet form.
It's a type of anticoagulant known as a directly acting oral anticoagulant DOAC. It prevents blood clots forming by inhibiting a substance called factor Xa and restricting the formation of thrombin an enzyme that helps blood clot.
Treatment usually lasts 3 months and involves taking rivaroxaban twice a day for the first 21 days and then once a day until the end of the course. Read the NICE guidance about rivaroxaban. Like rivaroxaban, apixaban is a DOAC that's taken orally as a tablet, and prevents blood clots forming by hindering factor Xa and restricting the formation of thrombin. Read the NICE guidance about apixaban. Wearing compression stockings helps prevent calf pain and swelling, and lowers the risk of ulcers developing after having DVT.
They can also help prevent post-thrombotic syndrome. This is damage to leg tissue caused by the increase in venous pressure that occurs when a vein is blocked by a clot and blood is diverted to the outer veins. After having DVT, stockings should be worn every day for at least 2 years.
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