Humans, and piglets, and bears, oh my! Preventing dangerous blood clots
"Don't poke the bear," they said. But that's exactly what a team of scientists have been doing to discover the secrets of blood clotting.
Apr 13, 2023
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"Don't poke the bear," they said. But that's exactly what a team of scientists have been doing to discover the secrets of blood clotting.
Apr 13, 2023
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When the new SARS-CoV-2 virus began killing thousands of people every week, physicians and scientists around the globe raced to learn why the new pathogen was so deadly. Among many early findings, experts noted that the infection ...
Oct 5, 2023
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Research by Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) University of Medicine and Health Sciences has discovered a new role for the blood clotting protein known as von Willebrand Factor (VWF), which could lead to the development ...
Nov 3, 2022
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A study published by The BMJ today sheds further light on the risk of developing a very rare blood-clotting condition known as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) after vaccination against the COVID-19 virus.
Oct 26, 2022
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Researchers at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School are reporting the first instance of COVID-19 triggering a rare recurrence of potentially serious blood clots in people's arms.
May 15, 2021
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A comprehensive study from Uppsala University involving more than 250,000 women shows that oral contraceptive use protects against ovarian and endometrial cancer. The protective effect remains for several decades after discontinuing ...
Dec 17, 2020
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The taller you are, the more likely you are to develop varicose veins, according to a study led by Stanford University School of Medicine researchers that examined the genes of more than 400,000 people in search of clues ...
Sep 24, 2018
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Monash University researchers have potentially shed light on why women with the rare autoimmune disorder Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) are prone to successive pregnancy losses.
Nov 28, 2017
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Researchers at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have developed a new surgical tool that uses low-frequency intravascular ultrasound to break down blood clots that cause deep ...
Jun 14, 2017
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One of the body's own tools for preventing wound infections may actually interfere with wound healing, according to new research from Boston Children's Hospital. In a study published online in Nature Medicine, scientists ...
Jun 15, 2015
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In medicine, deep vein thrombosis (also known as deep-vein thrombosis or deep venous thrombosis and usually abbreviated as DVT) is the formation of a blood clot ("thrombus") in a deep vein. It is a form of thrombophlebitis (inflammation of a vein with clot formation).
Deep vein thrombosis commonly affects the leg veins (such as the femoral vein or the popliteal vein) or the deep veins of the pelvis. Occasionally the veins of the arm are affected (if spontaneous, this is known as Paget-Schrötter disease). A DVT can occur without symptoms, but in many cases the affected extremity will be painful, swollen, red, warm and the superficial veins may be engorged. The most serious complication of a DVT is that the clot could dislodge and travel to the lungs, which is called a pulmonary embolism (PE). DVT is a medical emergency, present in the lower extremity there is 3% chance of a PE killing the patient. A late complication of DVT is the post-phlebitic syndrome, which can manifest itself as edema, pain or discomfort and skin problems.
According to Virchow's triad, venous thrombosis occurs via three mechanisms: decreased flow rate of the blood, damage to the blood vessel wall and an increased tendency of the blood to clot (hypercoagulability). Several medical conditions can lead to DVT, such as compression of the veins, physical trauma, cancer, infections, certain inflammatory diseases and specific conditions such as stroke, heart failure or nephrotic syndrome. There are several factors which can increase a person's risk for DVT, including surgery, hospitalization, immobilization (such as when orthopedic casts are used, or during long-haul flights, leading to economy class syndrome), smoking, obesity, age, certain drugs (such as estrogen or erythropoietin) and inborn tendencies to form clots known as thrombophilia (for example, in carriers of factor V Leiden). Women have an increased risk during pregnancy and in the postnatal period.
The most commonly used tests for the diagnosis of DVT are a blood test called D-dimers and doppler ultrasound of the affected veins. Sometimes, further testing is required to find the cause of the DVT. In specific cases, an attempt can be made to break down the clot (using thrombolytic agents). To prevent further accrual and formation of new clots with a risk of pulmonary embolism, anticoagulation (blood thinners) is advised (if not possible, an inferior vena cava filter may be used). Prevention of DVT is advised in many medical and surgical inpatients using anticoagulants, graduated compression stockings (also known as thromboembolic deterrent stockings) or intermittent pneumatic compression devices.
This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA