How Much Do You Know About Blood Clotting?

When people get hurt and the skin is cut or torn open, they bleed. The blood flowing throughout the body is protected by the skin, so when damaged, it leaks out. As blood is a rather important aspect of life and health, the body is built to try and prevent that. When someone gets cut or damaged, the blood at the point of exit begins to clot. Clotting also happens internally to prevent internal bleeding. Many cases of internal bleeding are dangerous and life threatening. 

Unfortunately, like many parts of the body, the blood clotting system doesn’t always work perfectly. There are conditions which can cause blood to reduce its clotting factor. These conditions cause people to bleed excessively and risk potentially unknown internal bleeding. Haemophilia A in particular is known to potentially be dangerous. Keep reading to learn more about what prevents blood clots, about over clotting and about what can be done to treat these issues. 

Common Obstructions to Blood Clotting

As mentioned before, there are several diseases and conditions which can cause problems with blood clotting. Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura is one such condition. Typically this occurs in children. Platelet levels in the blood are too low, which means that excessive bleeding or bruises will form. It is these platelets which are needed for proper clotting. Some people may not realize they have idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, as the symptoms can be light. However, sometimes they will find excess bleeding. This can be in urine, stools or through menstruation. They may find they bleed easily from minor cuts or have purplish red spots that look a lot like a rash on their lower legs. 

 As mentioned earlier, Haemophilia (or Hemophilia) is another disorder which affects the ability for blood to clot. People with hemophilia find themselves bleeding for extended periods of time after they injury themselves. The bigger danger for hemophiliacs is internal bleeding. It’s common for internal bleeding to occur around joints in the elbows, knees and ankles. What’s even more dangerous is bumping or striking the head can have serious consequences. Bleeding into the brain is possible and the signs and symptoms include bad headaches, vomiting, double vision, lethargy, clumsiness and seizures. 

Circulatory System Blood Clots

While there are diseases which reduce blood clotting, but there are also conditions which can cause a blood clot in the bloodstream. This over clotting can occur in a vein or an artery and tend to lead to a pulmonary embolism or heart attack. 

Blood clots also play a huge role when it comes to suffering from a stroke. Ischemic strokes occur when a blood clot happens in an artery that supplies blood from the heart to the brain. This is the most common type of stroke, accounting for 80% of strokes! 

Treating Blood Clot Abnormalities

Treatment for anti clotting or for blood clotting will typically require medication. In cases of heart attacks or strokes, the first treatment is medication known as anticoagulants. These reduce the blood clotting factor of blood in order to try and immediately stop the danger of the clots and how they are affecting the heart of brain. 

For people with issues like haemophilia or idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, the opposites are likely. Medications can increase the clotting factor in blood. This can be done by spurring the blood to produce more clotting factor. There are also medications which work to ensure that clots are strengthened and do not break up once they form. 

Other treatments are usually designed around trying to avoid secondary complications or handling symptoms. For example, immunizations against hepatitis is recommended for everyone who has haemophilia. Physical therapy is also a good choice when internal bleeding has occurred in the joints. It can resolve some of the damage. In other cases, surgical answers will be needed.