Our bodies form blood clots to ensure we don’t bleed to death every time we get a cut. However, blood clots can be a threat if they form in an artery and never leave. This ensures oxygen and blood cannot go to the affected area and body tissues may die. Blood clots can have a hand in the following conditions:
- Stroke: a blood clot keeps oxygen from entering the brain
- Heart attack and angina: blood clots close the arteries leading to the heart
- Pulmonary embolism: a blood clot is stuck in the lung
- Peripheral artery disease: blood clots stop blood from slowing in arm or leg arteries
Diagnosis and Treatment
Blood clots are usually not an independent condition, but rather a symptom of another, such as those previously mentioned. Medications called blood thinners are usually used to treat blood clots.
