What Are The Different Types Of Blood Clots?

Heart attacks and cardiovascular problems are among the leading causes of death in the United States. There are many reasons for this such as poor diet and unhealthy lifestyles. It can also be complicated to understand all the different ways that blood circulation problems can arise.

There are tons of different types of blood clots, and the symptoms of blood clots can be difficult to spot. However, learning more about how they work can save your life and the lives of those around you, it can help you know whether it is time to see a doctor or not.

Continue reading below to learn more about the different types of blood clots and how they impact your body.

There are many types of blood clots

Blood clots can vary in size and where they occur in the body. They can be caused by a buildup of plaque or blood flow may be restricted due to muscle tension. COVID-19 can even affect blood flow, causing problems throughout a person’s body.

When doctors find a blood clot in a person’s body, they immediately run tests to find out more about its severity. Sometimes the clots can be small and minor and can be treated with blood thinners. Other times however, they can be the start of a major problem.

If it’s improperly placed in your body, doctors may want to treat it right away. They may book surgery to remove the clot so that it doesn’t restrict blood flow to other organs. If the organs do not get the blood and oxygen they need, even worse problems can arise in the future.

Blood clots in the arteries can be devastating and hard to find

Arterial blood clots can have serious consequences for a person because they restrict blood flow throughout the body. Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood to organs in the body, so if blood flow is blocked, the whole body is affected. These types of blood clots can also be caused by many different things.

Sometimes a buildup of plaque can block regular blood flow. It can be the result of an unhealthy lifestyle or a poor diet which leads to more plaque in a person’s body. There may also be issues with nearby muscles or skeletal issues that lead to blockages.

Since arteries can impact the whole body, doctors can have a hard time finding them as well. Most of the time, they should investigate the area where a patient says they feel the most pain. They may need to put a patient under anesthesia so they can run a camera through their body, looking for arterial blood clots inside.

Clots in the heart may require immediate surgery

Clots can also form in the most central part of a person’s cardiovascular system, the heart. It is the muscle responsible for pumping blood throughout the body, sending it through the tubes of the arteries and veins. To do this, blood circulates through the heart aortas.

However, these aortas can be blocked for reasons similar to arterial blockages. If this happens, the heart may start to beat irregularly, disrupting the normal flow of blood. This can lead to a heart attack and people may need immediate treatment to regain health.

Venous blood clots can look like a sprain

Blood clots can also appear in a person’s veins, which carry blood from organs to the lungs. When they reach the lungs, they are replenished with the oxygen that the body needs. Then the blood cells complete the cycle again – returning to the organs and providing oxygen.

There are thousands of veins in a person’s body, and blood clots can form in any of them. Most of the time, they form as a result of plaque buildup as opposed to interference from other parts of the body. And most of the time, people may not even notice that they have a blood clot.

It may look like a heavy sprain or a pulled muscle, but a blood clot can last longer than either of these common injuries. Exercise can help eliminate it, but people should see their doctor first. Moving too much blood around the clot can damage the vein itself, leading to more serious problems.

There are many causes of blood clots

Blood clots are most often the result of a poor diet or an unhealthy lifestyle. Smoking greatly increases the chance that a person will have blood clots. By inhaling smoke and ash, these small particles are placed on the blood cells with regular oxygen.

As a result, the blood literally gets thicker and becomes more difficult to pump. A poor diet with a lot of sugar has a similar result, filling the bloodstream with unnecessary plaque. Even if you don’t exercise enough, regular levels of plaque can build up over time, causing a blood clot to form.

People can get clots after surgery

A common way for people to get blood clots is to receive bad treatment from doctors after surgery. There are several medical devices used to keep a person’s blood moving during surgery. Sometimes doctors have to artificially pump their heart because anesthesia can affect how the heart works.

By taking control of the blood flow in this way, doctors increase the risk of sending blood inappropriately into a person’s body. It can be pumped too fast or not fast enough. Doctors can also give too much medicine to stop people from bleeding, which causes problems with pumping blood.

You can find more information online, but just be aware that there’s a reason doctors usually want to keep people inside the hospital after surgery. This way, they can react immediately if something is wrong while a person is recovering.

Stay healthy and avoid blood clots

The best way to avoid having different types of blood clots is to stay healthy. Be careful with what you want and try not to get into dangerous habits like smoking or drinking too much. It also helps in getting a lot of exercise because it maintains blood circulation throughout your body.

There are many ways to start adopting a healthier lifestyle. To learn more about ways to be healthy, keep reading our website here.