Symptoms of a blood clot

The symptoms of a blood clot, and the recommended treatment, depend on where a clot forms in your body and how much damage it could cause. Knowing the most common blood clot signs and risk factors can help you spot or even prevent this potentially life-threatening condition. Heart or lungs: A blood clot in the heart will cause symptoms of a heart attack such as crushing chest pain, sweating, pain that travels down the left arm, and/or shortness of breath. A blood clot in the lungs can cause chest pain, difficulty breathing, and sometimes can lead to coughing up blood.

Symptoms

If these symptoms appear and disappear suddenly, you should still seek emergency care. Stroke symptoms that come and go can be a sign of a transient ischemic attack, or ministroke. These are also usually caused by blood clots, but the clots resolve or don’t entirely block the flow of blood to your brain.Arterial clots are those that form in the arteries. Once arterial clots form, they cause symptoms immediately. Because this type of clot prevents oxygen from reaching vital organs, it can cause a variety of complications like stroke, heart attack, paralysis and intense pain.

Legs and arms: Symptoms of blood clots in the legs and arms vary and may include pain or cramping, swelling, tenderness, warmth to the touch and bluish- or red-colored skin. Clots that occur in larger veins are called deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Blood clots can also occur in smaller, more superficial (closer to the skin) veins. Evaluation of your condition differs depending on the location and type of your blood clot. Your doctor will usually begin by obtaining your medical history, as this may provide information about factors that caused the clot, and will also perform a physical examination. In an emergency situation where patients may be unable to describe their symptoms, doctors may send patients for testing immediately after a physical examination. (Source: www.radiologyinfo.org)