Health :: Are You At-Risk for a Life Threatening Blood Clot?

When I was asked to write about a new campaign the National Blood Clot Alliance (NBCA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called Stop the Clot, Spread the Word™ are working on together, I immediately thought of Stephanie O’Neil Morris, a beautiful woman and spirit I met through Facebook and the A4cwsn group. We became friends and she and I use to correspond about our kids (we both have redheads) and our ancestry (we are both Irish) online so it came as a complete shock to read on Facebook one day two years ago, that she has passed away suddenly and unexpectedly.  After reading more about what happened from her husband and friends, I came to find out that she had passed away from a blood clot that had traveled through her leg.  The suddenness of her passing and at such a young age (she was 41) made me think more about this silent killer that affects so many people and in her honor I wanted to pass on this important information in the hopes that more people become aware of the signs and dangers of blood clots.

Image courtesy of NBCA’s Stop the Clot Facebook page.

Blood Clots Do Not Discriminate:

Each year, blood clots affect more people than AIDS, breast cancer, and automobile accidents combined.  Equally important, blood clots do not discriminate.  Blood clots can affect anyone – from infants and young children to teens, young moms and dads, people of middle age, and senior citizens too. Across the country and around the globe, people from all walks of life are affected, even elite athletes. In the U.S. alone, up to 900,000 people each year are affected by blood clots in their legs (known as deep vein thrombosis or DVT) and blood clots in their lungs (known as pulmonary embolism or PE).

Blood clots can be prevented and they can be safely treated. The first and best way to prevent them is to learn if you’re at risk. That’s why NBCA, working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has launched a new campaign called Stop the Clot, Spread the Word™ to help people learn more about blood clot risk factors, signs and symptoms, as well as prevention.

Image courtesy of NBCA’s Stop the Clot Facebook page.

Major Risk Factors:

Do you know your risks? Some of the major risk factors for blood clots include: hospitalization, surgery, cancer and cancer treatments, pregnancy, and the use of estrogen-based birth control and hormone replacement therapy. Any family history of blood clots is very important to know about too, because up to eight percent of people in the U.S. are estimated to have one of several genetic risk factors that can increase the risk for blood clots. Also, being bedridden, immobile, and even sitting too long at your desk or computer can put you at risk for blood clots, so experts advise that you get up and move around every hour or two. It’s important to know the signs and symptoms as well. The symptoms of blood clots in your leg or arm include pain, swelling, tenderness, and redness or discoloration of the skin. The symptoms of blood clots in your lungs include shortness of breath, sharp chest pain that worsens with deep breathing, and coughing up blood.

On average, 1 person dies every 6 minutes due to a blood clot.  Please help us spread the word about blood clots so that together we can help save lives and turn back these staggering statistics.

Would you please share this post in honor of our friend in hopes of bringing awareness to the risk factors and signs.

Visit www.stoptheclot.org/spreadtheword to download a checklist of blood clot risk factors and a chart listing the signs and symptoms of blood clots in your leg and lung.