Blood clotting is a way to prevent bleeding in cases of wounds, and although this response is beneficial for our health, in some cases clots can be life-threatening.
When jelly-like lumps appear in veins and arteries without cause, they can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. What is worrying is that outside temperature could play a role in this process, according to one expert.
Sudden changes in temperature, such as when people enter a warm building after being outside in the cold, can cause heat stress to the body. This can make your body work harder to maintain a constant temperature. The viscosity of the blood can also be affected, making it more viscous and more likely to clot, according to Professor Mark Whitley, consultant vein surgeon and founder of the Whitley Clinic.
Professor Whiteley explained that the risk of heart attacks can increase in cold weather, saying: “This may be due to increased clotting in the coronary arteries, but it could also be due to increased resistance to pumping blood around the body in cold weather when all the arteries narrow to reduce heat loss.” From the skin, which makes the heart work harder. Therefore, it has not been proven that this is definitely due to blood clotting. Interestingly, there does not seem to be a significant difference between people with coronary heart disease who exercise in normal weather or cold weather, which indicates “Moderate exercise in cold weather is not at all dangerous and may be beneficial.”
The expert added that cold weather is also linked to an increased risk of a different type of blood clot, which is pulmonary embolism. A pulmonary embolism occurs when a blood clot blocks blood flow to an artery in the lung and stops it. However, Professor Whitley added that deep vein thrombosis, which is blood clots in the deep veins, is more likely to occur as temperatures drop.
Research published in the journal International Angiology also warns that low temperatures appear to be “significantly associated” with deep vein thrombosis. The study looked at patients who were hospitalized with deep vein thrombosis in Shenyang, China, over a ten-year period.
The results showed that lower ambient temperatures were associated with symptoms of DVT, with the effects of the cold sometimes delayed by up to one week.
Fortunately, Professor Whitley explained how to keep the risk of clotting in the colder months to a minimum, saying: “It is clearly sensible to stay warm if possible. Smoking should be avoided because nicotine causes arterial spasm and increases proteins which can increase the risk of blood clotting. “In the long run, smoking also damages blood vessel walls by causing inflammation. Exercise is always beneficial because good blood flow through the blood vessels keeps the blood vessel wall healthy and reduces the risk of any blood clots inside the vessel.”
2023-12-28 05:29:52
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