Tennis star Serena Williams battled it and it was the cause of the untimely death of rapper Heavy D and Tommy from the hit show “Martin”. And there are more people who are affected by this than we initially realized. The disease that is hiding is called Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT).
Currently, the Surgeon General’s Call to Action report highlighted the scope and impact seriousness of DVT. The report stated that as many as 100,000 to 180,000 deaths occur annually due to DVT and pulmonary embolism (PE) in the United States alone. Although many of these events are preventable, there are a large proportion of DVT events that occur spontaneously, without any signs or symptoms. This has led the Department of Health to make the prevention of this “silent killer” across the NHS a priority.
Some people do not know they have a DVT until the clot moves from their leg or arm and travels to their lung which can cause a pulmonary embolism.
Pulmonary Embolism Symptoms
Symptoms of a pulmonary embolism include:
- Sudden shortness of breath or fast breathing
- Sharp chest pain that often comes with coughing or movement
- Pain in the back
- Cough (sometimes with bloody sputum/phlegm)
- Sweating more than normal
- Fast heartbeat
- Feeling dizzy or fainting
DVT Symptoms
Don’t let DVT get that far. Here are five of the top symptoms to look out for:
1. Leg Pain
With large blood clots, pain and tenderness can occur in the leg affected—particularly when standing, climbing stairs, or walking.
2. Swelling
Swelling, particularly around the affected area (i.e., calf or thigh) may occur with a worsening clot.
3. Feverish Skin
Another common sign shows itself in the affected leg with skin that is