THROMBOSIS RISK FACTORS
- Age over 40 years
- Pregnancy, puerperium
- Malignant tumor, previous or current
- Blood disorders that tend to favor coagulation processes
- Hereditary or acquired diseases of the coagulation system
- Heart failure
- Diabetes mellitus
- Previous myocardial infarction
- Previous episode of venous thrombosis
- Family history of deep vein thrombosis
- Major surgery or recent injuries, especially of the lower limbs or abdomen
- Estrogen hormone therapy, including oral contraception
- Lower limb injury
- Subjects subjected to major surgery recently
- Prolonged immobilization (long periods of lodging, long journeys)
- Dehydration (increases blood viscosity)
- Additional risks in obese or varicose veins and smokers.
Diagnosis
To understand if a vein is simply "tired" and the circulation slowed down, or if you are actually in the presence of a thrombosis problem, it is essential to have a preliminary examination by your doctor, who will decide, if necessary, to send the patient to a specialist examination called venous ecodoppler of the lower limbs. This is a non-invasive technique, very important because, due to the extreme variability of the symptoms associated with this condition, the clinical diagnosis is not very reliable. In addition to the ecodoppler, another useful test for the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis is the D-Dimer test.
Blood tests useful in case of venous thrombosis
- antithrombin
- prothrombin time INR
- thromboplastin time
- activated protein C
- D-Dimer test.
Therapy
To learn more: Drugs for the treatment of deep venous thrombosis
The therapy of patients with deep vein thrombosis includes three approaches: pharmacological (anticoagulant and fibrinolytic), surgical (thrombectomy, an intervention that has fallen into disuse) and mechanical (intermittent pneumatic compression in the post-operative period, elastic stockings or bandages, early mobilization) .
In patients in whom the risk of thrombosis is significant, for example due to a past history of recurrence, and ineffective drug therapy, so-called caval filters can be used (real sieves that prevent the migration of thrombotic fragments to lung level, preventing the embolism).
Anticoagulant therapy is often undertaken for prophylactic and therapeutic purposes in subjects who have already experienced an episode of deep vein thrombosis. It is necessary, for example, before and after a demanding surgical operation that forces you to stay in bed for a certain period. These drugs are used to decrease the ability to coagulate blood, thus making it more "fluid". Among them we first remember heparin, which is used intravenously or subcutaneously for a few days, and oral anticoagulants, administered by mouth for at least a few months. Sometimes, especially in hospitals, also thrombolytic drugs are used, which serve to dissolve the thrombus faster.
TIPS TO PREVENT THE THROMBOSIS
- Wear comfortable clothes and shoes
- During the day, perform frequent physical exercises of the lower limbs
- Carry out a daily appointment with regular physical activity (a walk of forty minutes is sufficient at a steady pace)
- Abolish smoking
- Follow a sober and balanced diet, consuming plenty of fluids and minimizing alcohol intake
- Do not expose your legs to the sun during the hottest hours of the day, or to direct heat sources (for example a stove).
- In the presence of the important risk factors seen during the article, it is essential to scrupulously follow the doctor's instructions on the use of graduated compression stockings and anticoagulant drugs.
Prevention
Venous thromboses are "team diseases", in the sense that they are determined by several risk factors, some of which are modifiable. If through a correct prevention we remove from the group of important pieces (smoke, overweight, physical inactivity), we weaken the adverse factors and reduce the risk. On other fronts, instead, it is necessary to intervene with specific drugs (see anticoagulants).
Diet and thrombosis
Let's start by saying that there are no "magic" foods, capable of preventing thrombosis, but there are certainly foods that help more than others to have a more fluid blood, because they contribute to lowering the level of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood . Omega-three, for example, are very important because they lower the blood levels of these lipids and have an anti-inflammatory action. A diet rich in fish therefore prevents rupture but also the formation of thrombi, especially at arterial level. However, it is essential that it be accompanied by an adequate consumption of foods rich in fiber, for example by alternating a meal with whole grains with one with the classic refined ones. In this way, for example, the absorption of fat at the intestinal level is reduced, you feel more satiated and you avoid introducing too many "crap" between one meal and another. The fibers also reduce the absorption of toxins and improve intestinal function. The foods that contain them are also rich in vitamins and some of these such as folic acid, help to mitigate the negative effects of a diet too rich in fats and animal proteins.
Hyperhomocysteinemia, a condition predisposing to the formation of arteriovenous thrombi, is for example common in the elderly and vitamin deficiencies are one of the most common causes. Consequently, vitamins are also its best treatment, which uses supplements based on folic acid, vitamin B6 and cobalamin or vitamin B12.
The effects of the diet on the thrombotic risk are therefore indirect, in the sense that they do not act directly on the main risk factor, represented by the excessive, improper or inappropriate, activation of the coagulation system.
Smoking, on the other hand, directly increases certain coagulation factors, which make the blood "denser" and more likely to form thrombi. The same is true, but in the opposite sense, for physical activity, whose benefits are positively reflected both in the prevention and in the therapy of deep vein thrombosis.
