Some do not feel it, for others this lung disease ends tragically: the most important thing is to recognize the first symptoms

Some may feel nothing and others may die suddenly.

To understand what pulmonary thromboembolism is, it is first worth knowing how blood circulates in the human body. According to the professor, in the lungs, unlike in the whole body, most of the arterial blood in the lungs flows through the veins and most of the venous blood flows through the arteries. A blood clot forms in the pulmonary arteries, although venous blood flows there.

The doctor explains: venous blood flows from the heart to the lungs, its purpose is to travel to the lungs and get oxygen. Blood from the right ventricle of the heart enters the pulmonary artery and venous blood enters the lungs. They receive oxygen and then the venous arterial blood becomes saturated with oxygen again and is transported throughout the body.

Usually, a blood clot forms in the veins of the legs; Because all venous blood travels upward because it has to be saturated with oxygen, the clot also travels upward with the blood and enters the right ventricle of the heart. It enters the pulmonary artery, clogs part of the blood vessels, and increases the pressure in the blood vessels. Also, oxygen is no longer carried from this blood vessel to the body.

“Perhaps it is easier to imagine an irrigation hose, a hose as a blood vessel and a motor as a heart. If someone has narrowed the hose, they squeeze it, the pressure increases enormously. In other words, the pressure in the pulmonary artery increases. a lot at that time because the blood flows and the blood vessel contracts or narrows. The increase in pressure makes the work of the right ventricle very difficult, “said prof. E. Danila.

If the body cannot dissolve the clot in the lungs, the blood vessels can rupture and blood can flow into the lungs. This is called a pulmonary infarction (pulmonary hemorrhage).

“The disease is very diverse: some people may not feel anything and others may even die. The pulmonary blood flow is very good, each blood vessel is in contact with another blood vessel and they are very elastic. As a result, the thrombus entering the lungs generally does not cause significant damage to the body.It is estimated that the absolute majority of thrombi that enter the lungs dissolve, a person does not even realize it.

Another extreme is that death can occur in a few minutes or a few minutes. In between these extremes are most people with very mild illness. Out of every 100 people who develop and diagnose thromboembolism, 2-3 people die. And the vast majority of people will experience very mild symptoms, precisely because of the development of blood flow in the lungs, ”said the interlocutor.

The professor listed who is most at risk

The interviewee lists who should pay attention to their health and the possible development of thrombotic embolism. According to him, the greatest risk arises in several cases.

One of the most common causes of blood clots is varicose veins in the legs. Especially if a person spends much of the day sitting, not lifting weights and perhaps even bending the legs. In this case, the blood travels to the legs through the arteries, but it is more difficult for him to return. If you don’t exercise, the blood begins to settle and clots begin to form in the veins of the legs.

“It is especially relevant for modern youth. It has been observed that in countries where many young people are overweight and sit and play video games for a long time, they have a much higher risk of thrombotic embolism,” added the professor.

The second common cause is cancer disease. The risk of blood clots is greatly increased in cancer.

The third risk factor, according to prof. E. Danilos, are oral hormonal contraceptives.

Another reason is surgery. “When the operation is performed, incisions are made, bleeding occurs, which causes the body to send a signal to clot the blood. Long and difficult surgeries are particularly dangerous. Also, after the operation, the person is immobile, “said the interlocutor.

Another reason is immobility and being overweight. Blood flow to such a person is poorer, which can cause clots to form more quickly.

There can also be congenital causes when a person has a higher clotting factor from birth.

“Pulmonary artery thromboembolism is definitely not just a disease of the elderly. “It is especially dangerous for young women who use hormonal contraceptives,” said the interlocutor.

The disease warns of shortness of breath and heaviness in the chest.

However, the professor assures: there are almost no cases in which a person does not feel anything for a long time and then dies suddenly, because there are many adaptation mechanisms in the lungs. Then, until the clot kills, the person will feel some seriousness.

“It can be hard to breathe, you can feel pressure in your chest. And such pressure seems for no reason: there was no intense physical activity, no stress, and no nervous tension. Like out of nowhere, in the course of normal activities: going to the store, working, the person shaving feels that sensation. However, it is generally ignored.

More attention should be paid to those who have risk factors: varicose veins of the legs, recent surgery and use of contraception, and then if there is an unclear cause of shortness of breath, faster heartbeat, sweating and pain in the side stand. When a pulmonary infarction occurs, a person may experience pain and this may be the only manifestation of the disease. There may also be a cough with bleeding, ”said prof. E. Danila.

The heaviness in the chest can be felt for weeks or even months. Thrombi accumulate one after another and can completely block a blood vessel. In rare cases, when a certain physiological limit of a person is reached, a heart attack occurs, blood pressure drops, and the person may die.

The outcome of the disease depends on several factors.

Unfortunately, there is no one preventive measure available to everyone to find out if there are clots in the blood vessels.

“If a person has a clear risk factor, such as dilation of the veins in the legs, it is probably worth having an ultrasound examination of the veins in the legs periodically to check for blood clots. If you are using birth control, it is important to be aware that clots can form; It is not very important to check it in advance, but it is important to know what the first signs are ”, the doctor advised.

How the disease ends depends on several factors. For example, if a person has cancer and has developed a thrombotic embolism, the chances of dying are much higher than those who are young and healthy.

“If a girl is young, does not smoke, is not overweight, is physically active but uses contraceptives, then the pulmonary system is healthy, in which case even the traveled thrombus will dissolve in most cases. However, if a person You smoke for many years, you have lung and heart diseases, you have atherosclerosis, the chances of death are high. The disease may have almost no symptoms and, on the other hand, it can be fatal. If the blood pressure has started to drop and the chest is under a lot of pressure, there is shortness of breath, the symptoms are threatening. But if a person feels only mild shortness of breath, the probability of dying is less than 0.5 percent. However, in all cases it is necessary consult a doctor, “said prof. E. Danila.

Treatment, according to the professor, is multifaceted and largely depends on whether a person’s life is in danger or not. If the condition is not life-threatening, treatment with oral anticoagulants is sufficient. The duration of use of such drugs depends on the cause of the thrombus. If the cause persists, you may need to take medications for life.

If a person’s condition is very serious, according to the doctor, drugs that are given through a vein are needed and, in some cases, drugs to dissolve thrombi that are given through a vein.