What is Thrombosis?
What is thrombosis?
Thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot in a blood vessel.
Thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot in a blood vessel.
The vessel may be any vein or artery, such as in a deep vein thrombosis (venous) or a coronary artery (arterial). Any clot that forms in a blood vessel is called a “thrombus.”
Once formed, a venous thrombus can slow or block normal blood flow, and even break loose and travel round the body through the vessels. A clot that travels to the circulation is called an embolism. Thrombosis is the often preventable underlying pathology of heart attack, thromboembolic stroke, and venous thromboembolism (VTE), the top three cardiovascular killers.
Thrombosis is normally categorized by where it occurs in the body.
The two types of thrombosis are venous and arterial, depending on whether the clot develops in the vein or an artery. Both are influenced by acquired or inherited risk factors, although the risk factors are different for each.
Hospital Associated Thrombosis (HAT)
Being in the hospital is a major risk factor for developing venous thromboembolism (VTE), a blood clot that forms in a vein. When VTE develops during or after a hospital stay, whether for surgery, a medical admission or pregnancy, it is known as hospital-associated thrombosis (HAT) or hospital-associated VTE.
VTE risk falls into three main categories, often called Virchow’s triad: reduced blood flow, damage to the vein wall and blood that clots too easily.¹ Reduced blood flow can occur when a patient is immobile during bed rest. Vein wall damage can result from trauma to a blood vessel, such as during surgery or a serious injury. And blood can become more prone to clotting when someone is ill with conditions such as pneumonia or an inflammatory illness like ulcerative colitis or rheumatoid arthritis.² Some people also inherit a blood clotting disorder called thrombophilia, which makes their blood stickier and raises their VTE risk from birth.
Types of blood clots:
Venous and arterial thrombosis
Venous and arterial thrombosis
The two broad classifications of thrombosis are venous (VTE) and arterial (AT), depending on whether the clot develops in a vein or an artery. Venous and arterial thrombosis are variations of similar pathologic mechanisms. Both venous and arterial thrombosis are influenced by acquired or inherited risk factors.
Women and thrombosis
Women face unique and often overlooked risks for developing blood clots, or venous thromboembolism (VTE), at every stage of life. From adolescence through pregnancy, postpartum, midlife and menopause, hormonal changes, certain medications and reproductive health factors can raise a woman’s risk of thrombosis. Hormonal birth control, hormone replacement therapy and pregnancy all increase clotting risk, while conditions unique to women, such as preeclampsia, can further compound that risk. Understanding these risk factors is an important step toward earlier detection, prevention and treatment of blood clots in women.
Thrombosis-related conditions
Atrial fibrillation (Afib)
Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is a type of irregular heartbeat which means the left and right atria do not contract properly and if you were to see them, they look like a bag of worms! The lack of proper contraction means there is poor flow through the atrium and blood clots can form within the atrial. These blood clots can break off and travel through the body to block an artery elsewhere. If an embolism blocks an artery in the brain, this results in a stroke. Untreated atrial fibrillation is a common preventable cause of stroke.
Heart attack
A heart attack, or myocardial infarction, occurs when blood flow through one or more of the coronary arteries is suddenly blocked, usually by a blood clot, cutting off oxygen supply to part of the heart muscle. This blockage typically results from a ruptured atherosclerotic plaque in the artery, triggering clot formation and restricting blood flow.
Blood clots and your mental health
DVT and PE are serious, life-threatening conditions that require immediate medical attention. Early diagnosis and treatment can often lead to recovery, and it is important to know the signs, symptoms and risk factors that contribute to the development of a blood clot(s).
