When Blood Clots Too Much

Blood always flows inside our bodies in the blood vessels in a liquid state.

If there is an injury blood leaks out but quickly clots and too much of blood loss is stopped.

So this is a dynamic balance inside the body.

In some people blood tends to clot fast and this is a dangerous problem too.

So what should you know about this peculiar situation?

First of all clotting inside arteries (which carry pure or oxygen rich blood) and inside veins (which carry impure or carbon dioxide rich blood) is not the same.

There are some conditions where blood becomes thicker because there are too many red cells or haemoglobin, called polycythemia.
This is a common issue in heavy smokers.

If there are too many platelets also blood clots faster.

There are many other conditions where blood clotting is more, like high levels of homocysteine, low levels of Protein C or S. sickle cell anemia.

Blood clotting problems are also commoner in overweight persons, diabetes, cancer patients and in pregnancy.

Clotting on the venous side can manifest as leg swelling or DVT, lung clots or pulmonary embolism, while on the arterial side, heart attacks or brain strokes happen.

People who sit for long hours at work or long flights can also get clotting problems, as also old persons who may be in bed for months together.

Blood clotting problems are treated with anticoagulants either injections or tablets, some patients may need to take them lifelong if there are serious underlying issues of too much clotting.