Who is prone to blood clots

Overweight and obesity refer to body weight that's greater than what is considered healthy. These conditions can lead to atherosclerosis, which increases the risk of clots.

Metabolic syndrome is the name for a group of risk factors that increases your chance of having heart disease and other health problems, including an increased risk of forming blood clots. DVT usually affects the deep veins of the legs. A blood clot in a deep vein can break off and travel through the bloodstream.

If the clot travels to the lungs and blocks blood flow, the condition is called pulmonary embolism. Peripheral artery disease PAD : A narrowing of the peripheral arteries, most commonly in the arteries of the pelvis and legs. All three of these conditions are caused by narrowed and blocked arteries in various critical regions of the body. Hardened arteries or atherosclerosis in the coronary artery region, restricts the blood supply to the heart muscle View an illustration of coronary arteries.

Carotid artery disease refers to atherosclerosis in the arteries that supply blood to the brain. Atherosclerosis : A disease in which plaque builds up in the wall of an artery. PAD is usually caused by atherosclerosis in the peripheral arteries or outer regions away from the heart. Plaque is made up of deposits of fats, cholesterol and other substances.

Plaque formations can grow large enough to significantly reduce the blood's flow through an artery. When a plaque formation becomes brittle or inflamed, it may rupture, triggering a blood clot to form. A clot may either further narrow the artery, or completely block it. Medicines Medicines can disrupt the body's normal blood clotting process.

Other Factors Many other factors can lead to excessive blood clotting: Smoking raises the risk of unwanted blood clots and makes it more likely that platelets will stick together. Smoking also damages the lining of the blood vessels, which can cause clots to form. Increased homocysteine levels , linked to a high risk of vascular disease. Increased levels of this substance may damage the inner lining of the arteries.

Women are more likely to develop blood clots when they're pregnant due to an increase in platelets and clotting factors. This may involve wearing stockings that improve your blood flow or taking medicine to reduce the risk of clots anticoagulants. Our guide to care and support explains your options and where you can get support. Page last reviewed: 16 February Next review due: 16 February Blood clots. Urgent advice: Get advice from now if you think you have a blood clot.

Symptoms of a blood clot include: throbbing or cramping pain, swelling, redness and warmth in a leg or arm sudden breathlessness, sharp chest pain may be worse when you breathe in and a cough or coughing up blood Blood clots can be life threatening if not treated quickly. Also, because cancer patients are often older and not very active, it's considered likely that age and lack of physical activity contribute to the increased risk for blood clots in cancer patients.

Inflammatory bowel disease IBD is a term used to describe conditions, such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis , that are characterized by inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. An Austrian study of nearly 2, people with IBD found that about 6 percent of them had a history of blood clots and that more than 90 percent of those were DVT or pulmonary embolism, a blood clot that travels to a lung. While experts know that inflammation is one of the risk factors for DVT, Haut said the exact mechanism is not clear.

Blood clotting disorders, such as sickle cell disease, are common causes of deep vein thrombosis because they cause the blood to thicken, stick, and clot more easily. In sickle cell disease , for instance, the irregular shape of the blood cells allows them to stick together more easily and form clots.

According to a report from the U. Surgeon General, up to 20 percent of all people with DVT have a gene mutation for clotting factor V, in which the gene that helps the blood clot normally is abnormal. In addition, 35 percent have at least one genetic risk factor that makes them more susceptible to DVT.

The report also notes that people with genetic deficiencies in natural anticoagulants antithrombin, protein C, and protein S are much more likely to develop DVT.

Heart disease, including the blood vessel disease atherosclerosis , commonly called hardening of the arteries, affects the blood vessels in many ways, including increasing the risk for blood clots. That makes it one of the health conditions that may cause DVT. When you have heart disease, "you have plaque in your blood vessels, and that raises your risk of having a clot there," explained Haut.

That's the clot that forms and causes a stroke or heart attack. Having a serious infection is another common yet mysterious risk factor for blood clots and DVT.