Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
Leg clots occur without warning with sudden pain and
swelling in a leg muscle, usually the calf. This is a particularly
dangerous condition because the clot can break lose from the
veins in the leg, travel to the lungs and block blood flow to kill a
person. In a report in the British medical journal, Lancet (April 1,
2006), doctors at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical
Medicine showed that infections may cause sudden clotting in
the leg muscles called Deep Vein Thrombosis. They showed a
20 percent increase in infections, particularly urinary and
respiratory, one to two weeks before a person develops clots.
This report supports the current theory of inflammation causing
heart attacks, strokes, and clotting. Your immunity is good
because it is supposed to kill germs when they enter your body.
However, if your immunity keeps on being active, it attacks your
own body to damage arteries and other tissues.
People at the highest risk for clots are those who are
sedentary for a long time, such as in long distance plane flights,
and those who suffer cancers. Since infections are common and
deep vein clots are not, you should not worry about clots every
time you get an infection. However, if after a urinary or
respiratory infection, you suffer sudden pain in a leg without any
other explanation, check with a doctor immediately to rule out a
clot.
June 15, 2006