Keep legs active avoid a clot
DR. Alfred Mubangizi of Kadic Hospital in Ntinda recently lost a cousin who had collapsed while reading in the library in the UK. A post- mortem report showed that she died of pulmonary embolism (blood clot). She appeared healthy and normal.
By Edna Mubiru
DR. Alfred Mubangizi of Kadic Hospital in Ntinda recently lost a cousin who had collapsed while reading in the library in the UK. A post- mortem report showed that she died of pulmonary embolism (blood clot). She appeared healthy and normal.
The said clot could have formed in her leg or thigh and moved within the blood vessels to the heart, then to the lungs, causing her death. Blood can clot in any part of the body but most instances in the legs and thighs after one has had an accident.
“As blood flows through the body, it is sent to the lungs first to get oxygenated then to the rest of the body. A clot from any part of the body is sent to the heart but may then be sent to the brain, causing a stroke or to the lungs resulting into pulmonary embolism,†Mubangizi says.
Clots usually form in the muscles of the thighs or the calf and are transported through the veins to the heart. This condition is referred to as ‘Deep Venous Thrombosis’ (DVT).
“When one feels a sharp pain in the leg, it is sometimes mistaken for a muscle pull and massaged. This improves blood flow, leading to easier movement of the clot to the chest and increases the risk of death,†he adds.
The reason people die due to blood clot is because clots are not easy to diagnose and can be mistaken for other illnesses. For example, when the clot comes to the chest, there is a sharp pain and difficulty in breathing, which can be related to many other illnesses.
Mubangizi says that x-rays cannot show blood clots. It may be ruled out as somebody masquerading as sick and the extent of the problem may be realised when it is too late to save them.
Symptoms
The major symptom of a blood clot is swelling and pain in one leg, usually resulting from inactivity or accidents involving fractures in the legs or thighs.
Who is at risk?
“Sometimes people who drive automatic cars for long distances develop clots because they have one active leg and the other is redundant,†Mubangizi says.
People whose jobs demand that they sit for long hours, like bank tellers and customer care personnel, are prone to clots. People who take long flights and do not stretch are also prone to blood clots.
A blood clot, though, can develop in the body due to various factors.
Individuals with high blood pressure also known as ‘hypertension’, are prone to clots. Because the heart is slow in pumping blood and the vessels are narrow, resistance occurs in movement of blood, leading to formation of a clot.
Those that have had operations and spend a lot of time on bed rest with no exercise or mothers who have just delivered are also at risk if they are inactive.
People with blood disorders risk getting clots in their bodies. People who suffer from heart failure and those who are overweight are also at risk.
Prevention and cure
In order to detect a blood clot when one is showing symptoms, a Venous Doppler is used for the leg or thigh and an Echo Cardiogram or Electro cardiogram is used for the chest.
These services can be accessed at Mulago Heart Institute, SAS Clinic on Bombo Road and KADIC hospital in Ntinda.
When a blood clot is diagnosed, strong anti-coagulants such as Claxane and Warfarin are used to dissolve the clot.
For those in the high-risk group (people with high blood pressure), aspirin or other preventive anti-coagulants are given to reduce the risk.
The best way to prevent a blood clot is though exercise.
DR. Alfred Mubangizi of Kadic Hospital in Ntinda recently lost a cousin who had collapsed while reading in the library in the UK. A post- mortem report showed that she died of pulmonary embolism (blood clot). She appeared healthy and normal.
The said clot could have formed in her leg or thigh and moved within the blood vessels to the heart, then to the lungs, causing her death. Blood can clot in any part of the body but most instances in the legs and thighs after one has had an accident.
“As blood flows through the body, it is sent to the lungs first to get oxygenated then to the rest of the body. A clot from any part of the body is sent to the heart but may then be sent to the brain, causing a stroke or to the lungs resulting into pulmonary embolism,†Mubangizi says.
Clots usually form in the muscles of the thighs or the calf and are transported through the veins to the heart. This condition is referred to as ‘Deep Venous Thrombosis’ (DVT).
“When one feels a sharp pain in the leg, it is sometimes mistaken for a muscle pull and massaged. This improves blood flow, leading to easier movement of the clot to the chest and increases the risk of death,†he adds.
The reason people die due to blood clot is because clots are not easy to diagnose and can be mistaken for other illnesses. For example, when the clot comes to the chest, there is a sharp pain and difficulty in breathing, which can be related to many other illnesses.
Mubangizi says that x-rays cannot show blood clots. It may be ruled out as somebody masquerading as sick and the extent of the problem may be realised when it is too late to save them.
Symptoms
The major symptom of a blood clot is swelling and pain in one leg, usually resulting from inactivity or accidents involving fractures in the legs or thighs.
Who is at risk?
“Sometimes people who drive automatic cars for long distances develop clots because they have one active leg and the other is redundant,†Mubangizi says.
People whose jobs demand that they sit for long hours, like bank tellers and customer care personnel, are prone to clots. People who take long flights and do not stretch are also prone to blood clots.
A blood clot, though, can develop in the body due to various factors.
Individuals with high blood pressure also known as ‘hypertension’, are prone to clots. Because the heart is slow in pumping blood and the vessels are narrow, resistance occurs in movement of blood, leading to formation of a clot.
Those that have had operations and spend a lot of time on bed rest with no exercise or mothers who have just delivered are also at risk if they are inactive.
People with blood disorders risk getting clots in their bodies. People who suffer from heart failure and those who are overweight are also at risk.
Prevention and cure
In order to detect a blood clot when one is showing symptoms, a Venous Doppler is used for the leg or thigh and an Echo Cardiogram or Electro cardiogram is used for the chest.
These services can be accessed at Mulago Heart Institute, SAS Clinic on Bombo Road and KADIC hospital in Ntinda.
When a blood clot is diagnosed, strong anti-coagulants such as Claxane and Warfarin are used to dissolve the clot.
For those in the high-risk group (people with high blood pressure), aspirin or other preventive anti-coagulants are given to reduce the risk.
The best way to prevent a blood clot is though exercise.