Cause and Effects:

Why does DVT happen?

It is very important that blood does clot when necessary, otherwise even a small cut
would lead to serious loss of blood. On the other hand, if blood clots in the wrong place
this too can cause serious problems. It has been known for about 150 years that there
are three main things that increase the chance of a blood clot forming.

1. Damage to the veins themselves; (for example, breaking a leg may damage the
veins in the leg);
2. Increased "stickiness" of the blood; (for example, dehydration increases the
tendency of blood to clot, so does pregnancy and injury. Some medical conditions
also make blood clots more common, for example some types of cancer, some
people have abnormalities of the clotting systems themselves which make clotting
more likely;
3. Decreased blood flow through the veins. The main thing that makes blood flow
through the veins is using the muscles around the veins. If you are immobile, for
example after an illness or an operation then you are at increased risk of a clot.

What are the possible early problems from DVT?

I: Problems in the leg

A DVT causes inflammation. This may make the leg feel hot, tender and swollen and
look red. This is not particularly reliable as some DVTs cause no trouble and other
things, for example, an infection can also cause inflammation and produce a similar
picture.

In general the bigger and further up the leg the DVT is the more obvious is the effect
on the leg. Sometimes some of the blood clot in the vein can be dislodged and be
carried up with the blood returning to the heart to the lung. This is the cause of the
second major area, problems in the lung.

II: Problems in the lungs

If a bit of clot breaks off from the leg veins and gets carried up to the blood vessels
of the lung it is known as a pulmonary embolus or PE. The effect of this depends on
how big the clot is and how many of them there are. A single small PE may cause no
symptoms at all. As the amount of clot gets bigger it may cause shortness of breath
and pain on breathing and sometimes coughing up blood. A massive PE may block
 the circulation completely and stop the heart from being able to pump blood around
the body causing sudden death.

Signs and Symptoms

Deep Vein Thrombosis

 Pain
 Swelling of the affected extremity/area with erythema and warmth over the
vicinity of the clot
 Discoloration including a bluish or suffused color
 Pain and tenderness in the leg
 Pain on extending the foot
 Swelling of the leg, ankle and foot

Food that should be eaten:

 High fibre and low-fat diet.

Food Guidelines:

• Avoid foods and supplements containing high dosages of vitamin A (over 10000
IU/day) or vitamin E (over 400 IU/day).

• More than 5 gms (5,000 mg) of vitamin C may reduce the absorption of Coumadin.

• Absorption and activity of Coumadin may be decreased by iron, magnesium, and zinc.
These minerals should be taken separately from Coumadin, by at least two hours.

• Please consult with your physician or pharmacist before taking nutritional

supplements containing chondroitin sulfate.

• More than 60 grams of onions (2 oz’s) may affect the activity of Coumadin.

• Avoid avocado with warfarin.

• Taking high doses of Grapefruit juice with Coumadin may interfere with drug therapy.

• The following herbs may contribute to blood thinning and should not be used with
Coumadin: Angelica, anise, arnica, asafoetida, bogbean, boldo, danshen, fenugreek,
feverfew, garlic, ginger, ginkgo, ginseng (Panax), horse chestnut, licorice, meadowsweet,
prickly ash, passionflower, poplar, quassia, red clover, turmeric, and willow.