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Patients & Caregivers / Venous Disease / Venous Disease Causes and Symptoms

Venous Disease


Causes

In the vast majority of cases, pulmonary embolism (PE) is caused by deep vein thrombosis (DVT) —by a blood clot that breaks off of a deep vein and is carried upward through the vein to your lungs.

Symptoms

Signs and Symptoms of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) include:2,4

  • ​Swelling of the legs
  • Pain or tenderness in the legs
  • Red, discolored skin
  • Warmness of the skin
  • Painful wounds or ulcers

Signs and symptoms of pulmonary embolism (PE) include:2

  • Shortness of breath
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Coughing, potentially coughing up blood
  • Sharp chest pain
  • Rapid or irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia)
  • Light-headedness, dizziness, or fainting
  • Excessive sweating

You should seek medical attention immediately if you experience any combination of these symptoms.


   

References

  1. The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism. Office of the Surgeon General (US); National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (US). 2008. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44178/
  2. Venous Thromboembolism (Blood Clots). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/dvt/index.html
  3. Venous Thromboembolism (VTE). National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities 2012 Annual Fiscal Report. http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/aboutus/annualreport2012/documents/ar2012-vte-printversion.pdf
  4. Deep Vein Thrombosis Medline Plus. U.S. National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/deepveinthrombosis.html
  5. Pulmonary Embolism. Medline Plus. U.S. National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/pulmonaryembolism.html
  6. Explore Deep Vein Thrombosis. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/dvt
  7. Explore Pulmonary Embolism. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/pe

Patients & Caregivers