These drugs – which include warfarin, heparin, and newer medications such as apixaban and rivaroxaban – work in different ways, but all interfere with the clotting process. The good news is that blood-thinning medications, also known as anticoagulants, can stop clots from forming, slow their growth, or prevent clots that have already formed from wreaking havoc in other parts of the body.
Serious illnesses, injuries, obesity and long periods of inactivity can also increase your risk. Pregnancy, taking estrogen-containing birth control or using hormone-replacement therapy increases women’s chances of deep vein thrombosis, the CDC says. That’s because blood begins to clot more easily as you age, although researchers aren’t sure why, Dr. There’s a sharp increase around age 40 or 45, and by the time you’re in your 80s, your annual risk is 1 out of 100,” Dr. “Among women younger than 30, the annual risk is just 1 in 10,000. Deep vein thrombosis is “mostly a disease of aging,” says Mary Cushman, M.D., director of the University of Vermont Medical Center’s Thrombosis and Hemostasis Program, in Burlington. Nearly 900,000 Americans have DVT each year, and 60,000 to 100,000 die of a pulmonary embolism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There, it can cause a life-threatening blockage known as a pulmonary embolism. If a clot forms inside a large, deep vein, typically in the leg – a condition called deep vein thrombosis (DVT) – it could break free and travel to the lungs.
Do you know how to use anticoagulant drugs safely and effectively? Follow these 15 expert do’s and don’ts.īlood clots are a serious issue. I f you’re at risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), you’re probably taking blood-thinning medication to prevent clots.