Deep Vein Thrombosis

Learn about the potential medical complications of this condition and what you can do to prevent them.

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What is Deep Vein Thrombosis?

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is the occlusion of a vein in the deep venous system, which almost always occurs in the lower limbs or pelvis, and occurs due to blood clotting inside the vein.

What are the symptoms of Deep Vein Thrombosis?

This condition may be asymptomatic, depending on the location of the affected vein.

Generally, the higher the affected vein is (in the pelvis, groin, and thigh), the greater the likelihood of it being symptomatic.

When it occurs in more distal areas, that is, further away from the groin area (such as the knee or near the ankle), it may be much less symptomatic.

The main symptoms include:

Local pain in the thrombosis area;
Significant feeling of tension and heaviness;
Swelling of the lower limb;
Color changes almost always between purple and reddish.

Risk Factors

Globally, we can divide risk factors into:

Congenital factors

These factors are called thrombophilias.

That is, specific genetic alterations in our blood coagulation system, which make certain people more prone to the formation of blood clots in their veins.

They almost always result from small defects in proteins that exist in circulation.

Acquired factors

They can result from diseases acquired throughout the patient's life, most notably oncological diseases. Virtually all types of cancer, as well as their respective treatments, increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis.

On the other hand, there are also other trivial factors such as:

Overweight;
Prolonged immobilization as a result of an illness or surgical intervention that has led to electrification, forcing the individual to remain still for a long time;
Other situations in which a person spends many hours with their lower limbs in a retracted position with flexion, such as long-haul airline flights in economy class. Essentially, any time they spend many hours without moving their limbs in positions that favor the "stagnation" of blood in the venous bed.