Blood clots in veins double the risk of heart attack: Research

Nov 27:   Blood clotting in veins might be two times risky for heart attacks and strokes, a recent study revealed this surprising fact on the basis of a broad research.

According to Danish researchers, who conducted the study by analysing the data of a 20-years’ long Denmark's national medical databases, “A blood clot in any person’s vein can enhance the risk of heart attack or stroke nearly by 90 percent within a year as comparison to non-blood clotting persons.”

They have found the ‘surprising’ link between the deep vein blood thrombosis (clotting) and heart attack, which was undetected so far as researchers claimed. “Obesity could be a key factor.” said Henrik Sorensen, the chief of the research team.

Usually blood clots occurs in the leg vein but “if the clots reach to heart or lung, it may cause a pulmonary embolism”, said Henrik. The leg vein thrombosis is not usually fatal, but can be if it reaches to heart or lung and generate pulmonary embolism that is liable for heart attack and stroke.

A pulmonary embolism is a sudden blockage in a lung artery, usually due to a blood clot that traveled to the lung from a vein in the leg. A clot that forms in one part of the body and travels in the bloodstream to another part of the body is called an embolus.

Henrik Sorensen, an epidemiologist at Denmark's Aarhus Hospital also revealed that the risk factor remains 20 to 40 percent higher in suffering people as against non-blood clotting persons for at least 20 years.

Though the links between the vein clots and strokes or heart attacks are surprising because the heart attacks and strokes occur because of hardening artery walls, while blood clots is not the reason of hardening the veins.

"The veins don't have the same process, so it is surprising there is a link," said Sorenson.

Earlier, the scientists had believed that blood clotting in coronary arteries were liable for heart attacks and strokes, but "We have shown the link between the diseases for the first time with a very large study," said Henrik Sorensen, "The diseases had been regarded as totally different."