What cause a blood clot?

Answer 1

There are many kinds of blood clots. There are those which occur when you cut your skin (these are commonly called "scabs"). There are those which occur inside veins. The ones which occur inside veins but cause problems are of two kinds--those which occur in superficial veins, and those which occur in deep veins. Blood clots in superficial veins (veins near the skin) are most commonly caused by having varicose veins. Another common cause is having an intravenous puncture (IV), such as when you have blood drawn or during a stay in a hospital. When superficial blood clots become inflamed, the condition is called superficial thrombophlebitis. This is treated with warm compresses and antibiotics. Blood clots in deep veins are called deep venous thromboses (DVT's). DVT's are more likely to occur if you have one or more of the following 3 risk factors: 1. Trauma

2. Venous stasis

3. Predisposition to the formation of blood clots Trauma means injury to that part of the body. Venous stasis means the blood isn't flowing very much. This happens when you sit or lie still for prolonged periods of time (such as on a long plane flight) or if you are obese. Predisposition to forming blood clots can be a genetically inherited trait. It also occurs in various medical conditions, such as pregnancy and cancer. DVT's are extremely dangerous, since a piece of the blood clot can break off and go to your lungs (pulmonary embolism--often fatal) or your brain (stroke--often crippling).