Blood clots are healthy and lifesaving when they stop your bleeding.
However, they can also form when they aren’t needed and cause a heart attack, stroke or other serious medical problems.
They can pose a number of risks depending on where they form in the body, with their seriousness increasing as they start moving through the bloodstream.
It is therefore critical to pick up the condition in the initial stages when it can still be dissolved with an injection.
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot in a vein, usually in the leg, and can be very dangerous.
Symptoms of blood clots that have formed deep inside the veins are often concentrated in the legs.
Blood clot symptoms
According to WebMD, four symptoms warning of a blood clot include:
- Trouble breathing
- Colour changes
- Pain
- Swelling
Trouble breathing
As a clot leaves the legs and starts to move to the lungs, patients may experience difficulty breathing and a bad cough.
This occurs as blood flow through the lungs is dramatically decreased, which in turn reduces the amount of blood flowing to the neighbouring organs.
Occasionally, patients may cough up blood or may experience pain in the chest and dizziness, all of which warrant a visit to the emergency department.
Swelling
When a clot slows or stops the flow of blood, it can build up in the vessel and make it swell.
“If it happens in your lower leg or calf, it’s often a sign of DVT,” explains WebMD.
The health site added: “But you also can have a clot in your arms or belly.
“Even after it goes away, one in three people still have swelling and sometimes pain and sores from damage to the blood vessel.”
Skin colour change
A person’s leg, or the affected area, may start to turn a red or blue hue.
There have also been cases where a person’s skin gives off a discoloured white tone warning something is not right.
The health platform Blood Clot Recovery explains that "changes in skin colour, such as turning pale, red or blue or purple", can be indicative of deep vein thrombosis.
Pain
Symptoms of a blood clot include a throbbing or cramping pain.
The leg pain or discomfort may feel like a pulled muscle, tightness or general soreness.
The affected area where the blood clot may also feel warm to the touch.
