BLOOD CLOTS SHOULD YOU BE WORRIED?

We reveal why they happen, who’s at risk and what you can do to prevent bad ones

Blood clots are essential to stop us from bleeding to death from minor cuts, but they can also be seriously bad news. This year, they’ve hit the headlines as a rare side effect of the AstraZeneca vaccine. However, they were causing problems way before COVID-19 struck. Did you know, pre-pandemic, more people died from blood clots than breast cancer and road traffic accidents combined*? And it’s also the number one cause of preventable death in hospitals.

Forget vaccines – lifestyle factors such as weight gain, an unhealthy diet, inactivity, smoking and even medication (think the combined oral contraceptive pill) are the things that really put you at risk. They can cause vessels to become blocked, leading to major problems if left unchecked.

So, how can you spot if a blood clot will cause you problems? We reveal the signs to look out for, what you can do to prevent them, and how to treat them.

Regular aerobic exercise also reduces the risk of developing blood clots by 39% in women, according to researchers from Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands. It keeps the blood flowing and can help us maintain a healthy weight.

Not all clots are bad news