Blood Clots: The Silent Epidemic That Can Kill You
An outstanding 180,000 people die from blood clot related causes in The U.S. each year. That is more then from vehicle accidents, breast cancer and Aids combined. Yet most of us don’t even know if we are at risk.
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Blood clots are a silent epidemic because they may not have any symptoms or we fail to recognise the symptoms.
More then 100,000 people die each year in the U.S. from blood clots.
It is very important to educate your self on the subject of blood clots because knowing the signs , symptoms and causes may just save your life.
While blood clots do not always cause symptoms, here are some signs to watch for:
- Swelling of the arms or legs.
- Tenderness in the extremity.
- Redness.
- Visible surface veins.
If you notice any of these signs talk with your doctor. these may mean you have DVT ( deep vein thrombosis).
This can lead to a pulmonary embolism which can cause death within 30 to 60 minutes.
The signs that you may have a pulmonary embolism are as follows:
- Shortness of breath.
- Chest pains.
- Sudden coughing.
The risk factors for developing blood clots are hospitalizations, surgery, trauma, sitting or standing to for a prolonged time, Hormone replacement therapy and some genetic clotting disorders. If you have any of these risk factors, talk to your physician about how to prevent or treat blood clots. this is a conversation that just might save your life.
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Glynis Smy | May 17, 2009 | Reply
As writers, we need to be aware of this. Sitting for long hours at the desk is not a good idea. On my author blog (see my profile), I wrote about exercises for writers. We sit as long as a longhaul airflight and ignore the dangers. Interesting article.
Darla Smith | May 17, 2009 | Reply
Very informative article. Thanks for sharing. This is something we all need to be aware of.
Tim | May 17, 2009 | Reply
Yes, this is very important stuff. No joke.
Please read the article I wrote on this at:
http://walketim.newsvine.com/_news/2009/05/13/2814554-e-thrombosis-deep-vein-thrombosis-and-ergonomic-chairs
Xavier | May 18, 2009 | Reply
I suffered from a very bad stroke that left me with a paralyzed leg, due to many blod clots in my brain, lungs and legs.
A miracle that the clots, going through my heart did not do more damage.