Blood clots form to help stop bleeding, and can occur when an artery or vein has received damage. Blood clots can form without prior injury and can block the flow of blood. The symptoms of blood clots depend on where the clot forms and if the clot travels to other parts of the body.
Deep Vein Thrombosis
A thrombus is a blood clot that forms within a blood vessel and remains there. A deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot that forms in a large vein. These types of clots usually develop in the lower leg, thigh or pelvis, but can also occur in the arm. Anyone can experience a DVT, but there may be predisposing risk factors that increases the chances of developing a DVT, especially if more than one factor is present. The risks increase because an injury to the vein, slow blood flow, increased estrogen, chronic medical illnesses and other risk factors, such as a family history of DVTs.
The most common medical symptoms of a blood clot that causes a DVT include swelling, pain, tenderness and redness of the skin in the affected area. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that half of the people who have this type of blood clot don't experience any symptoms at all.
Pulmonary Embolism
A blood clot that has broken off, sometimes occurring from a DVT can travel to the lungs causing a pulmonary embolism (PE). This is a serious and potentially life-threatening form of blood clot. Medical symptoms of a blood clot forming a PE include difficulty breathing, faster than normal heart beat, chest pain that usually worsens with a deep breath or cough, coughing-up blood, a very low blood pressure, feeling light-headed or blacking out. The CDC recommends seeking immediate medical care if any symptoms of a PE occur.
Arterial Thrombosis
An arterial thrombosis is a blood clot that forms in an artery. This type of clot usually occurs in the heart or brain. A blood clot that has traveled to or formed in the heart can cause a heart attack. The medical symptoms displayed include shortness of breath, chest discomfort felt as pressure or squeezing, especially in the center, lasting for longer than a few minutes and pain that extends to the shoulder, arm, back, teeth or jaw.
A blood clot that has traveled to or formed in the brain could cause a stroke. The medical symptoms exhibited include sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg, sudden difficulty in speaking or understanding speech or vision difficulties that may result in blurred, double or decreased vision. The Mayo Clinic recommends seeking emergent care if any or all of these symptoms occur.
