Today, September 16th, is National Day to Combat and Prevent Thrombosis. The date aims to raise awareness among the population, increase information about the disease and find ways to reduce cases in Brazil.
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), known as phlebitis or deep thrombophlebitis, affects two out of every thousand people per year in the country, according to data from the Ministry of Health (MS).
What is thrombosis?
Sascha Schlaad, specialist in Vascular Surgery at Hospital Alemão Oswaldo Cruz, in São Paulo, explains that thrombosis It is the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel that obstructs the correct blood clotting. Thrombosis generally occurs in the lower limbs.
According to the doctor, one of the symptoms of undiagnosed venous thrombosis is when the patient's leg patient starts to hurt when he is moving and even when he is at rest, the pain does not raisin. But, as he adds, the pain is usually accompanied by edema (swelling) as well.
"In 30% of cases of thrombosis, patients have no symptoms. The disease can be confused with other pain or disorders in a lower limb. So, sometimes thrombosis is only found when an ultrasound is performed."
Sascha Schlaad
The doctor comments that the gold standard diagnosis of thrombosis today is made using a ultrasound. "In this exam, we were able to see the thrombus (clot) inside the vein of the patient's limb. In these cases, the vein does not compress (crumple) when we press it on top", he highlights.
Read more about thrombosis
Thrombosis treatment
The vascular surgeon says that, before establishing a treatment, it is necessary to classify the patient's risk. "We need to know the location of the thrombosis, its extent and, above all, whether he has any complications related to the disease, such as pulmonary embolism", he highlights.
It is also necessary to know, according to the professional, whether the patient has had thrombosis on other occasions or whether they have any other associated disease, such as cancer active, some autoimmune disease or even cardiac insufficiency.
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According to Sascha Schlaad, before starting thrombosis treatment, it is also necessary to know whether the patient is in the post-operative period of any surgery that offers a greater chance of having thrombosis (such as implant or prosthetic surgery) while you are still in the resting phase.
The main treatment for patients with thrombosis, according to the doctor, is the prescription of anticoagulant medications and the medication duration varies depending on the severity of the disease. "Normally, the time taken to take the medicine is at the doctor's discretion, but it can vary between three, six or 12 months or if the patient has already had other thrombosis or illnesses. In this case, it may be without a defined time," he says.
The vascular surgeon comments that anticoagulant medications are popularly known as medications that "thin the blood", which is not true, according to him.
"In fact, the blood maintains its density, but what happens is that the blood loses its properties, reducing the blood clottinga, that is, it clots less easily. However, this exposes the patient to a greater risk of bleeding", he warns.
Tips to avoid thrombosis
Sascha Werner Schlaad, specialist in Vascular Surgery, lists tips to avoid thrombosis for the first time or to acquire the disease again. Check it out below:
Have a healthy life and hydrate yourself a lot;
Do physical exercise regularly, such as walking for 30 to 45 minutes;
Avoid becoming obese;
Do not smoke;
Use elastic compression stockings (preferably three-quarters) on a daily basis, in cases of those who have already had the disease.
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Image credits:
[1] Shutterstock
[2] Personal file
By Silvia Tancredi
Journalist
