A thrombus also called a blood clot, is the final product of the blood coagulation step in hemostasis. A thrombus is a healthy response to injury intended to stop and prevent further bleeding, but can be harmful in thrombosis, when a clot obstructs blood flow through healthy blood vessels in the circulatory system.
Thrombi usually arise in the legs, beginning in a blood vessel in the calf. The common symptoms of thrombi are swelling, pain, and redness. Clots can have some dangerous consequences on health, if not treated early.
According to a study it has been found out that there is an association between obesity and blood clots. The study involves 37,672 men in Sweden born between 1945 and 1961. The data is collected from school health care services under the age of 8 and medical examinations on enrollment in the Armed Services under the age of 20, along with register data on any blood clots up to age 62 on average.
The BMI at both ages 8 and 20, independently of each other, can be linked to venous blood clots. There are two groups of adults which are at a significant increased risk of developing venous thrombi. The first group comprises of people who were overweight both as children and as young adults while the second group comprises of people who had a normal weight during their childhood and turns to be overweight in early adulthood.
It has been found that people who were overweight in the phase of childhood as well as in young adulthood has a higher risk of suffering from arterial thrombi. Arterial thrombi are clots resulting from constricted blood vessels with fatty deposits and inflammation.
Along with it, the study shows that both overweight during childhood and overweight in young adulthood increases the risk of venous blood clots. Obesity and overweight during the age of puberty have a serious risk of developing venous thromb.