What You Know About DVT Could Save Your Life
Learning more about deep vein thrombosis, or DVT--a Condition that affects two million Americans every year--could save your life.
What You Know About DVT Could Save Your Life
Learning more about deep vein thrombosis, or DVT-a condition that affects two million Americans every year-could save your life.
DVT is a blood clot that develops in the deep veins of the legs or pelvic area or, on rare occasions, the arms.
It is not usually life threatening but it can become so if a blood clot breaks loose, becoming a pulmonary embolism (PE). Many people in the U.S. die within the first hour after a PE occurs-and up to 200,000 Americans die each year.
Who Is at Risk?
According to the Vascular Dis-ease Foundation, risk factors include a lengthy surgery, pregnancy, being over age 40 and sedentary, cancer, use of birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy, a family history of DVT, and spinal cord or other major injuries.
Smoking also increases the risk of DVT, as does obesity, long-distance travel and inherited clotting conditions. The more risk factors you have, the greater your risk.
Signs and Symptoms of DVT
Only about half the people with DVT have typical symptoms. Whe
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