Pulmonary Embolism a life-threatening condition But the name is not very familiar. Are you at risk?
What is pulmonary embolism?
Prof. Dr. Wirat Tangsujaritwichit Department of Respiratory Diseases and Critical Care Medicine Department of Internal Medicine Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital Mahidol University states that pulmonary embolism is usually caused by blood clots that clog blood vessels in the legs. which is the blood vessel that connects the right heart and lungs Then the blood clot was released and clogged the lungs accordingly.
And most of the time, blood clots usually occur in a certain area before entering the lungs. For example, currently a line is inserted into the body to give medicine intravenously. Blood clots may form in the arm. But in rare cases, blood clots enter the lungs immediately without clots found elsewhere.
Causes of pulmonary embolism
- Have you ever had surgery? Causing you to lie still for a long time
- suffering from some type of cancer
- Side effects from using certain types of medicines
- genetic disease
But there is a possibility that it can happen on its own without any obvious cause as well.
Group at risk for pulmonary embolism
- smoker It directly affects blood vessels. May cause injury to blood vessels Risk of blood clots
- People who have not been physically active for a long time
Symptoms of pulmonary embolism
It is dangerous in that most cases have no visible symptoms. Patients will know that they have a pulmonary embolism when they see the doctor with two clear symptoms:
- Tired, short of breath . The level of tiredness of each patient will vary according to the severity of the symptoms or how much or how little the amount of blood clots is blocked. and often feel more and more tired or tired during various activities, which are activities that are done regularly but are more tiring than usual, such as walking up the stairs in the house
- Swollen legs found in some cases. Caused by blood clots in the leg arteries.
Danger of pulmonary embolism
Patients with pulmonary embolism It may cause a decreased quality of life. and can be life-threatening as follows:
- Tired, short of breath, unable to perform daily activities.
- If not treated well It can cause high pressure in the pulmonary arteries.
- Swollen body, chronic right heart failure
- In cases where the heart’s septum is not functioning properly or is leaking It may cause blood clots to cross to the brain. This is because the pulmonary veins also have connections to the brain.
- Death in the case of incorrect diagnosis and improper treatment of the disease. or not treating blood clots in the lungs in time
Some patients with pulmonary embolism have died. because he did not receive treatment in time This is because some patients have symptoms but do not see a doctor immediately. For example, some people think that it is a symptom of fatigue associated with age. So he neglected to see a doctor. causing treatment to be delayed Therefore, you should see a doctor immediately when abnormalities occur.
How to treat pulmonary embolism
If it happens suddenly The level of vital signs is unstable. Doctors will use blood thinners for treatment.
If you have symptoms but your condition is not yet at a critical level. Doctors will use anticoagulants for treatment.
How to prevent pulmonary embolism
Actually, pulmonary embolism cannot be prevented 100%, but there are important ways to prevent the disease, which is to reduce controllable factors, for example, if you sleep for a long time, try to move more. If the blood vessels are viscous, you should drink a lot of water, โปรโมชั่น ufabet etc.