Who is most at risk of developing blood clots?
People over the age of 40, predominantly, because the risk goes up incrementally with years. People who are obese are at greater risk. People with chronic medical conditions that may cause prolonged immobility, like heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. People with cancer-are also at greater risk. Smokers are at higher risk. Women taking hormone replacement therapy or birth control pills are at a higher risk as well. Pregnant women are at a very high risk, and interestingly, the highest risk is right after delivery. Some of it has to do with anatomy. They had a large fetus compressing the veins, and preventing optimal blood flow. Pregnant women also undergo alterations in their blood clotting, or thinning ability. They make less of the proteins that prevent blood clotting. Some people have what is called thrombophilia, which is a propensity for clotting. We now know that up to 1 in 10 people will have one of these genetic markers. There’s been a lot written about the
