Deep vein thrombosis

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot that develops within a vein, usually in the leg. Each year, DVT affects around 1 person in every 1000 in the UK.

Symptoms of DVT

Swelling is one of the main symptoms of DVT. It may not always be easy to notice. Swelling can happen in any part of your leg, but usually happens in the back of the leg.

Other symptoms of DVT include:

• tenderness
• throbbing pain – if the clot is in your leg, pain is usually in the calf or thigh when walking or standing up, and pain may be worse when you bend your foot upwards towards your knee
• a heavy ache in the affected area
• red or darkened skin around the painful area – depending on your skin tone this may be difficult to see
• warm skin around the painful area
• swollen veins that are hard or sore when you touch them

These symptoms can also happen in your arm or tummy if that’s where the blood clot is.

Risk factors for DVT

Anyone can develop DVT, but the risk increases with age. You’re also more likely to get DVT if you:

• are inactive for long periods – for example, after an operation or during a long journey
• have had DVT, a pulmonary embolism or a blood clot before
• have a family history of DVT, pulmonary embolism or blood clots
• you have damaged blood vessels – for example, due to injury or a condition like varicose veins
• are pregnant or have given birth in the last 6 weeks
• take the contraceptive pill or hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
• are receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy
• have cancer
• have heart or lung disease
• smoke
• are overweight or obese

Sometimes DVT can happen for no obvious reason.

Diagnosing DVT

If your doctor thinks that you have DVT, you will need to have some tests. These include a specific blood test called a D dimer, and/or an ultrasound. An ultrasound scan shows if blood is flowing normally through the veins or if there are any clots.

You may also need an X-ray of the vein (venogram). For this, you’ll be injected with a dye to show where the clot is.

Treatment for DVT

There are a few ways to treat DVT. Your healthcare team will decide the best way to treat your symptoms.

Anticoagulant medicines

Anticoagulant medicines are used to treat DVT. These can include warfarin or apixaban.

Anticoagulants are often referred to as “blood-thinning” medicines, but they don’t actually thin the blood. They alter proteins within it, which prevents clots forming so easily.

You may need to take an anticoagulant medicine like warfarin for at least 3 months.

Compression socks

You’ll be prescribed compression socks to treat DVT. These are knee-high elastic socks that help your blood circulation.

Compression socks can improve the symptoms of DVT, including pain and swelling. They can also help to prevent complications of DVT.

Once you’ve been prescribed compression socks, your healthcare team may advise you to walk regularly. This can help to prevent symptoms of DVT and reduce or prevent complications.

Surgery

Some people may need surgery to treat DVT.

You may need to be fitted with an inferior vena cava (IVC) filter to treat your symptoms. These are small mesh devices that can be placed in a vein. They can be used to help prevent blood clots developing.

Raise your leg

If you have DVT in your leg, you may be advised to raise it whenever you’re resting. This helps to relieve pressure in the veins of the calf and stops blood and fluid pooling in the calf.

When raising your leg, make sure your foot is higher than your hip. To do this, you can put a cushion underneath your leg whilst you’re lying down.

Preventing DVT

You can help reduce your risk of getting DVT by making changes to your lifestyle.

Find out more about healthy living

Preventing DVT if you’re going into hospital

If you need to go into hospital for surgery, your healthcare team will assess your risk of developing DVT.

If you’re at risk of developing DVT, you may be given treatment to prevent it. For example, you may need to wear compression socks or take medicine.

You may need to continue these treatments after you leave hospital as there’s still a risk that you could develop DVT.

Whilst in hospital, try to move as much as you can. Your healthcare team may give you exercises to do.

Preventing DVT if you’re going on a long journey

If you need to travel a long distance, or for more than 3 hours, there are steps you can take to help avoid getting DVT.

You should:

• drink plenty of water
• practice some leg exercises, such as flexing your ankles
• take regular short walking breaks
• avoid drinking lots of alcohol
• wear compression socks

Speak to a healthcare professional if you’re planning any long-distance travel and have had DVT in the past, or if you’re at risk of it.

Complications of DVT

DVT can be very serious as blood clots can travel to the lungs. This is called a pulmonary embolism. A pulmonary embolism can be life-threatening and needs to be treated quickly.

If you’ve had a DVT, you can develop long-term symptoms like pain and swelling. This is known as post-thrombotic syndrome.