Our body’s tissues and organs need oxygen which is transported around the body with the help of bloodstream. These tissues and organs need a continuous supply of oxygen. A blood clot in an organ or a tissue that blocks the oxygen supply which leads to its malfunction.
Blood clots introduction in the bloodstream causes serious conditions like stroke and pulmonary embolism. Severe cases of embolism can cause disability and even death in some cases.
Blood clots introduction in the body could be due to:
- Being obese or having a body mass index of 30 or more.
- Having a high-fat diet
- Being immobile for a longer duration.
- Estrogen medication for hormone replacement or consuming contraceptive pills can also lead to embolism.
When you have a cut wound or a ruptured injury, you need blood to clot. Blood clot helps stop the bleeding in case of an external injury. The clot breaks down once the wound has been healed completely. When blood clots are stationed inside the bloodstream, they can block the blood flow. This condition is called thrombosis. When these blood clots, in the bloodstream break lose, doctors refer it to as embolism. They can be dangerous as these clots travel different parts of the body.
There are two main types of blood clots
- Arterial clots
These blood clots are introduced into the arteries of the heart that carry blood away from the body. Blood clots introduction in the arteries can block the blood and oxygen supply to vital organs of the body such as lungs and brain, which can further lead to tissue damage.
They often occur in legs and feet. Arterial clots symptoms include fingers and hands that feel a cold sensation to the touch, affected limb turning pale due to lack of oxygen, muscle pain or spasms in the affected area. - Venous clots
Venous clots tend to develop slowly. The blood clots introduction of this type can take time to diagnose as the person might be unaware of it before it starts causing a problem. Deep vein thrombosis, superficial thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism are the three types of blood clots. The symptoms of venous clots include inflamed, painful or swollen skin over the affected vein, the skin over the affected skin is warm or red. If left untreated, the condition can turn into the pulmonary embolism.
Some of the following factors and foreign bodies mentioned below can cause embolism in the human body are as follows:
- Blood clots
As mentioned above, blood clots, in the bloodstream can cause embolism or thrombosis. For instance, a heart condition called atrial fibrillation causes abnormal heartbeat, which causes a blood clot formation in the body. - Fat
When a bone suffers from a fracture, the fat particles from the bone are released into the bloodstream. These types of blood clots are referred to as fat embolisms. Fat embolisms can also develop due to severe bones or an extensive bone surgery. - Air
Blood clots introduction due to air is caused if air or other gaseous bubbles are formed in the bloodstream. This is called an air embolism. This is a concern for scuba divers. If a diver swims to the surface too quickly, the change in the air pressure can cause the formation of nitrogen bubbles in the bloodstream which can cause decompression sickness referred to as “bends”.
