Stop the Blood Clots, Spread the Word Campaign

as shared by U.S. Department of Health & Human ServicesMar 12, 2015

By: W. Craig Cooper, PhD, Acting Director, Division of Blood Disorders, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Even though the risk for blood clots may not concern you yet, they are serious and they occur frequently. Estimates are about 900,000 people a year get serious blood clots and of those, about 100,000 people die from them. On average, that’s one person dying from a blood clot about every 6 minutes. 

Blood clots occur most often in the legs, but can occur in the arms as well. If the clot breaks off and travels to  your lungs, this is serious. Most blood clots are preventable. That’s why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working with the National Blood Clot Alliance to make sure that the warning signs, risk factors, and what to do if this happens to you or a loved one are well known.

The Stop the Clot, Spread the Word™ campaign has information about risks, signs, and symptoms for blood clots.  Please visit the website and also help spread the word by sharing educational materials, such as the chart of signs and symptoms, the list of risk factors, and avideo about blood clots in the places that you work, live, worship, and play.

Our goal is for you to:

• Know the signs and symptoms of blood clots,
• Learn about what puts people at higher risk for blood clots, and
• Talk to your doctor about your risks and how to prevent blood clots.

The signs and symptoms of a blood clot in the arms or legs can include swelling, pain, and redness. Symptoms of a blood clot in the lungs—called a pulmonary embolism—include difficulty breathing, a fast or irregular heartbeat, and chest pain.

You may be at increased risk if you:

• Are older (risk increases after age 40),
• Are obese,
• Have been hospitalized and had surgery recently,
• Are undergoing certain cancer therapies,
• Use birth control pills or other estrogen-containing contraceptives, or
• Are pregnant or have recently given birth.

Serious blood clots are preventable. Talk with your doctor about your risk and what to do to prevent them.

Watch the video to learn more. Remember Stop the Clot, Spread the Word.™ For more information on the prevention of  blood clots, visit www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/dvt/.