Family History: Although less common than other causes of excess blood clotting, some people have an inherited genetic condition that affects the normal clotting processes in the blood.Pregnancy: Pregnant women can get clots because the fetus commonly presses on veins in the pelvis, slowing blood flow from the legs.Supplemental estrogen: High estrogen in birth control pills and hormone replacement therapies can increase blood clotting factors.Obesity: Being overweight increases the risk of blood clots especially in women who smoke or have high blood pressure.Smoking: Smoking narrows and damages the lining of blood vessels, making it more likely for blood clots to form.Lupus and other rheumatologic diseases may be associated with increased clotting. Other Medical Conditions: Heart disease, interstitial lung disease, COVID-19, pancreatic, ovarian, lung, and many cancers with metastasis can make clotting more likely.Being immobile in the hospital, particularly after surgery or trauma is a significant risk. Inactivity: Blood clots are more likely to form during prolonged periods of sitting such as bed rest or during air travel.Prior History: Around 33% of people affected by a deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism will experience another within 10 years.Many different factors can increase a person’s risk of developing deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. They have a variety of causes and typically remain in the legs, but can break free and move through the bloodstream. In certain situations when the obstruction causes the heart to work too hard and increases blood pressure in the lungs, pulmonary embolism can lead to pulmonary hypertension. Clots that form in the legs are called deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and are the most common type of blood clot after surgery. ![]() Either way, the blockage causes damage to the lung and reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood that travels out to nourish the body. In rare cases, the artery can be blocked by something other than a blood clot, such as an air bubble or part of a tumor. There, it lodges in the lung arteries and begins to block the normal flow of blood in the lungs. At some point if untreated, this deep vein clot may break loose and travel through the circulatory system until it reaches the lungs. ![]() How Pulmonary Embolism (PE) Affects Your BodyĪ blood clot may start in another part of the body, usually the legs or veins in the pelvis, called deep vein thrombosis (DVT). In most cases, pulmonary embolism is caused by blood clots in the legs, called deep vein thrombosis, that travel to the lungs. It occurs when a blood clot breaks off, travels through the bloodstream and stops in a lung artery, blocking blood flow.Pulmonary embolism affects around 900,000 people in the U.S. ![]() Pulmonary embolism can be life-threatening with 10-30% of individuals dying within one month of diagnosis.Medications related to hormones can increase the chance of blood clots forming. Injury to pelvis, hip, knee or leg, or being immobile for a long time which does not allow the blood to circulate properly throughout the body.Ĭancer, heart diseases (including congestive heart failure atrial fibrillation), heart attack, and stroke, among other conditions, can make it more likely for a blood clot or PE to form. Genetic defects can make some people more prone to clotting issues. The most common causes of pulmonary embolism (PE) are: This blockage most often happens when a blood clot occurs in an arm or leg, or other part of your body, detaches from inside the vein, and travels through the bloodstream to an artery in one of your lungs. A pulmonary embolism occurs when one of the primary arteries in your lungs (the pulmonary artery) becomes blocked by a blood clot.
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