I wish everyone a great start of the week, I hope everything goes very well for you in these remaining weeks of this 2022.
Let's socialize today important information regarding our body. Today I come to share with everyone what seems to me something that does not happen very often, but when it does it usually has serious health problems even, putting at risk of death to the person who suffers from it, let's talk about Deep Vein Thrombosis.
Our body is a marvel in reality, it has an order that allows it to adapt in a way that is incredible to some. In this sense, one of the main systems that help us to maintain ourselves is the Circulatory System.
In general it is composed of the heart, arteries and veins, the first is responsible for receiving the blood that comes from all over the body through the veins, to send it to the heart to oxygenate and then expel it again for the whole body through the arteries.
With each beat our heart receives blood but at the same time expels it, an action that keeps us alive. But there are many things that can happen during its functioning, and it is not only dependent on heart problems but also on problems in the arteries and veins. In previous publications I have dealt with topics such as cardiac infarction, as well as cerebrovascular disease, among other related topics.
But in this case what is affected is the venous system, in which a clot can form and if it moves from the site where it has formed, it could cause fatal consequences.
Veins carry the deoxygenated blood that comes from the different body tissues and is the result of its use in metabolic activities, towards the heart. The veins in the legs generally work against gravity, moving the blood through specialized valves to prevent backward flow.
When these valves fail, retrograde flow is generated, that is, backward flow, and this is what causes varicose veins in people. In other post I have commented that all our hollow organs (digestive system, arteries, veins, etc.) when they are distended is that pain occurs, therefore, when the blood does not flow in the direction that corresponds to it, and accumulates, it produces distension of the veins which in turn translates into pain.
But this has a possible complication which is the formation of clots, and that is when the dreaded complications of Deep Vein Thrombosis can occur. It usually occurs in the veins of our lower limbs, which are thick veins, which predisposes them to the formation of these.
Other predisposing factors are local infections, or the use of very tight clothing, or blows.
Deep vein thrombosis tends to produce very specific symptoms, which are as follows:
- The affected area becomes red and warm.
- Enlargement of the area, i.e., in this case edematization.
- Pain of strong intensity.
This is a condition that in itself is a cause for concern, but not precisely because of the problems in the area in particular, but because of the potential complications that this disease can cause.
The most efficient way to diagnose it I could say, and also the most economical is by means of an Echo Doppler, where emphasis is placed on the visualization of the deepest veins, where the obstruction is usually seen.
Let's talk a little bit about the possible complications:
Let us understand the following, starting from what I have explained above. When a clot forms at the level of a leg, there is a risk that this clot will displace. When it forms, it is called a thrombus, but when it moves, it is called an embolus, and this is where the danger lies.
When this embolus moves, it will move directly towards the heart, which is where all the veins carry the blood and this translates into high risk of the following clinical complications:
- Pulmonary thromboembolism: by far the most frequently occurring and which produces a large number of the deaths in patients when a clot moves from its site of formation.
What happens is that the embolus reaches the heart and from there passes to the lungs, or to a lung, where it produces an obstruction and subsequent ischemia, which translates into an infarction of the pulmonary tissue.
- Chronic venous insufficiency and the so-called post-thrombotic syndrome:
Both entities can occur if a person presents DVT and overcomes it, of course, which can generate a dysfunction of the venous system in the affected site or permanent pain in the area that suffered the damage.
These conditions are usually present in most patients who undergo an episode of deep vein thrombosis.
The diagnosis of this disease usually goes unnoticed most of the time, since the body has an efficient system for the destruction of emboli, however it is not always in its optimal functioning, which can cause it not to be detected in time when it happens and often ends up being fulminant.
In this type of disease prevention is essential, because once an embolus is formed and moves it is difficult to know exactly what can happen, and even more difficult to be able to prevent an outcome that no one wants to happen.
Walking, something as simple as that is one of the best ways to prevent this type of problem, because when walking the muscles of our legs contract causing the blood to circulate and thus avoiding the formation of a thrombus, and if this does not exist simply the chances of an embolus are nil. 4
Special attention to people whose work is totally sedentary as it is one of the conditioning factors for this particular disease.
With this post I hope you have an idea of what this disease usually means for those who suffer from it, the best thing to do when there is evidence of a deep vein thrombosis is that the person is taken immediately to a hospital and avoid at all costs massaging the area, something that unfortunately is very common.
