Venous thrombosis represents an abnormality in the blood clotting process in a vein; depending on the venous system involved, venous thrombosis may be deep or superficial. It usually involves the lower limbs.
It is referred to as thrombosis in the presence of a thrombus, or a blood clot. Coagulation is a physiological and fundamental phenomenon for our organism, but when a clot is formed at the wrong time and in the wrong place this pathological condition is established, which can have serious consequences.
What are the risk factors? Commentary by Dr. Corrado Lodigiani, Head of the Centre for Thrombosis and Hemorrhagic Diseases in Humanitas, in an interview with Corriere della Sera.
Why does a thrombus form?
The thrombus is formed because the blood coagulates in an intact vein, not subject to injury. It can also be resolved by itself through the fibrinolysis process, a physiological mechanism able to crumble the thrombus almost completely. However for this to happen, the clot must be small and peripheral, for example in muscle tissue.
The thrombus may also develop secondarily to other diseases; such as cancer or infection, or after an individual has undergone surgery. After the operation, in fact, the blood circulation is reactivated again and if the stimulus to coagulation to stop the bleeding is prevalent, a thrombus may arise. It is therefore best to subject patients most at risk to thromboembolic prophylaxis through medications that are able to restore balance, such as anticoagulants,” explains Dr. Lodigiani.
What are the risk factors?
In addition to family history and the presence of genetic defects in coagulation (trombophilia), we report: the use of drugs such as contraceptive pills or hormonal replacement therapy can alter the balance of the coagulation system pro-thrombotically. Pregnancy also increases the likelihood of thrombosis. Finally, this pathological condition is frequent in case of obesity, venous insufficiency in the presence of varicose veins, if you are too sedentary and if you are suffering from diabetes or serious dyslipidemia, the latter has emerged in recent years,” Dr. Lodigiani explains.
Precautions for long air journeys
A particularly long flight can be a good reason for the manifestation of thrombosis; this should not be confused with edema, i.e. swelling of the ankles and calves.
Dr. Lodigiani concludes: “Sometimes swelling can be simply due to stasis and not a sign of deep venous thrombosis. The risk of edema, as well as that of deep vein thrombosis, can be avoided by wearing elastic socks and doing exercises even when sitting down with your feet and ankles, and getting up from time to time “.
