Maxy sez :Myths and Facts About Life-Threatening Blood Clots

Get the facts on DVT's dangerous clots so you can protect yourself.      
By Regina Boyle Wheeler    Medically Reviewed by Farrokh Sohrabi, MD
DVT, or deep vein thrombosis, is a potentially dangerous blood clot that can form in a deep vein without your knowing it. If it breaks free, it can travel through your body and eventually lodge in the arteries of the lungs, blocking blood flow. This is a life-threatening emergency called a pulmonary embolism.

The problem is such a big risk to public health — responsible for up to 100,000 deaths in the United States each year — that the U.S. Surgeon General issued a Call to Action to raise disease awareness and educate people on ways to reduce blood clot risk.

Still, misconceptions exist about DVT and pulmonary embolism. DVT expert Lawrence “Rusty” Hofmann, MD, chief interventional radiologist at Stanford University Medical Center in California, as well as the co-founder and medical board chairman of Grand Rounds,  helps bust these myths.

Myth: You're young and healthy, so you don’t have to worry about DVTs.

Fact: DVT doesn't discriminate by age. Dr. Hofmann said while it's true that as you age you have a slightly higher risk, many of the patients he sees with DVT are in their twenties and thirties.

Myth: If a DVT is going to form, there’s nothing you can do to stop it.

Fact: Your likelihood of getting a blood clot is based on other factors related to your health, several of which you have control over. These include obesity, smoking, taking birth control pills, immobility, and dehydration. “Stay healthy, exercise, drink lots of water, and quit smoking,” said Hofmann.

Pregnant women are also at increased risk of developing a DVT until about six weeks post-partum. Having surgery or breaking a bone also raises your risk if you're immobilized. Talk to your doctor about how to avoid DVTs in these situations.

Myth: You’ll know if you have a DVT because you’ll feel a lot of pain in your leg or thigh.

Fact: The most important indicator of a DVT is swelling, said Hofmann. Yes, the vast majority of people feel pain in a leg or thigh, but Hofmann pointed out, there are many reasons for leg pain and not as many for swelling. “Another symptom that I’ll see in some patients is lower back pain in the pelvis area, specifically the sacrum,” he added. If swelling and/or pain have you suspecting a DVT, go to the emergency room. An ultrasound can diagnose a clot.

Myth: The only way to combat “economy class syndrome” is to buy a seat in first class.

Fact: “Most people associate flight-related blood clots with the altitude or the size of your seat, but it really has everything to do with the movement of your legs,” said Hofmann, adding that getting a blood clot while flying is actually rare.

“The best way to avoid DVT on an airplane — or even sitting at your desk — is to move your legs. I suggest the ‘put the pedal to the metal’ movement while seated: Move your foot up and down as if you’re pushing down on the gas pedal of a car. Do this 10 times every 20 minutes. For flights longer than two hours, get up and walk to bathroom and back a couple times.”

Knowing the facts about DVT can help reduce your blood clot risk and enable you to recognize symptoms, so you can get treatment early and avoid dangerous complications.