Deep vein thrombosis, a silent but deadly killer
Deep vein thrombosis, a silent but deadly killer
Debbie A. Lubis, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Planning to go somewhere to spend your holiday? If you're going
on a long journey that forces you to stay immobile for hours,
either by car or plane, you are prone to getting deep vein
thrombosis, or DVT, a blood clotting condition.
The condition can be prevented with light exercise as
inactivity can slow the blood flow and block blood circulation in
deep veins.
Professor at the hematology division of Jakarta's Cipto
Mangunkusumo General Hospital, Karmel L. Tambunan, warned that
DVT could cause handicaps and even death. It could also cause
sudden deafness, blindness and even miscarriages.
"The blockage of blood flow will disturb the transportation of
oxygen and nutrients to the organs and it will cause the network
of blood vessels to weaken and die," Karmel said.
The symptoms of DVT may include pain, swelling, discoloration
and warm skin. However, most DVT cases produce minimal symptoms.
He said the major risks associated with DVT was the
development of pulmonary embolism (PE). A fragment of a blood
clot breaks loose from the wall of the vein and migrates to the
lungs, where it blocks a pulmonary artery or one of its branches.
"Some seventy percent of PE cases end in the patients' death,"
Karmel said.
Symptoms may include a shortness of breath, a feeling of
apprehension, increased heart beat, sweating and/or sharp chest
pains that worsen with deep breathing. Some patients may cough up
blood. Others may develop very low blood pressure and pass out.
Karmel said exercising could improve circulation. "People
should stand up or wiggle their legs if they are motionless for
more than eight hours at a stretch," he said.
Karmel said that chances of DVT were also high among those
confined to bed for extended periods, including the elderly,
post-surgery patients or the paralyzed.
In addition, hormonal treatment may also increase the risk of
blood clotting, particularly when combined with other risk
factors like smoking, hypertension, diabetes and obesity.
"Women who use oral contraceptives or undergo hormone
replacement therapy are 10 times more likely to develop the
disease because those substances can decrease anticoagulants in
the body," Karmel said.
Fortunately, the diseases can be prevented and treated
effectively, including pulmonary embolism. With early treatment,
patients with deep vein thrombosis may reduce their chances of
developing pulmonary embolisms.
"Patients at high risk should take anticoagulant tablets or
injections regularly. It is more costly and hard to recover if
thrombosis has already happened," Karmel said, adding he had had
to amputate a 35-year-old the foot of a woman diagnosed with the
disease.
"It's hard to cure the network of blood vessels which are
already destroyed."