The ability of blood to coagulate is a protective reaction of the body during bleeding, this function is a very important indicator for maintaining a comfortable life in everyday conditions. If damage to the blood vessel has occurred, then certain blood elements create blood clots that stop further loss of blood. Coagulability indicators change with malfunctions in the body and with age.
Thrombophilia
However, there is the other side of the coin - the pathology of thrombophilia, manifests itself in the event of a malfunction of the blood coagulation system, which increases the risk of thrombosis, varicose veins, heart attack, stroke, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (kidney, stomach, intestines).
In a healthy state, the blood should move freely through the vessels, supplying tissue with oxygen. Blood with increased viscosity forms clots and blood clots, both inside large vessels and in small capillaries. Under such circumstances, the tissues receive insufficient oxygen and begin to suffer from hypoxia. As a result, a person loses working capacity and his condition worsens greatly. Urgent measures are needed to reduce blood clotting to eliminate symptoms.
Reasons for increased coagulability
The main factors provoking an increase in the coagulation function can be:
- Changes in the hormonal background (for example, pregnancy) or hormonal diseases.
- Infections
- Pathology of the internal organs.
- Lack of physical activity, provoking a slow movement of blood flow.
- Genetic abnormalities.
- The received radiation dose.
- Autoimmune disease.
- The metabolic process is disturbed.
The above processes change the viscosity and the number of plasma chemical elements, respectively, the natural state of such major blood components as red blood cells and platelets is disrupted. In this condition, blood cells stick together, the ratio of liquid to cell mass is violated, the risk level of possible blood clots in vital organs increases. It turns out that if blood coagulation is not reduced in time, it can even lead to death.
Symptoms of High Coagulability
An exact diagnosis can only be made by a doctor based on blood tests, but some symptoms can be noticed without special equipment, they will be obvious to a simple person:
- A large number of bruises that appear due to minor injuries and minor bruises. This is due to the increased fragility of small vessels.
- The gums begin to bleed.
- The work of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract (for example, intestines, spleen) is impaired. This happens due to lack of oxygen and other beneficial substances.
- Hemorrhoidal nodes increase in size and become excessively sensitive, hurt.
- Venous nodules and spider veins appear on the legs.
The reasons provoking blood viscosity
Human blood thickens for the following reasons:
- Weight gain.
- High blood sugar.
- Stressful situations.
- Bad habits (smoking and alcohol abuse).
- Oncology.
- Autoimmune disease (for example: rheumatoid arthritis, bazedovy disease, Hashimoto thyroiditis, etc.).
Blood coagulation medical examination
Tests that reflect the ability of blood to clot and form blood clots are called coagulological. This is a list of tests that can identify all defects in the work of hemostasis. In addition, a standard general blood test is also appropriate, because it can be used to determine platelet readings.
Blood is donated to an empty stomach (you must not eat at least 8 hours before coming to the laboratory).
Coagulogram data and their norms
An ideal coagulogram should look something like this:
- Thrombin time - 10-17 seconds.
- Prothrombin time - 78-142%:
- Activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) is 25-37 seconds.
- Fibrogen - for adults 2-4 g / l, for newborns 1.25-3 g / l.
- Antithrombion III - 83-128%.
- D-dimer - not more than 243 ng / ml, for pregnant women in the last trimester up to 644 ng / ml.
- The plasminogen activity is 80-132%.
- The activity of protein C is 70-140%.
- Free protein S - in the male half of the population 74-146%, in the female 54-123%.
- Lupus anticoagulant - negative.
Drug treatment
The attending physician prescribes an individual drug treatment, depending on the results of the tests and the causes of the problem.
Standard blood clotting drugs are anticoagulants. They are prescribed based on the characteristics of the pathology. It can be:
- Fibrinolytics.
- Antispasmodics.
- Anti-inflammatory drugs.
Transfusion and infusion procedures are used to restore normal blood volume. Removal of blood clots is carried out by surgery.
If thrombophilia is transmitted genetically, then in order to reduce blood coagulability, a long course of taking aspirin in small doses is prescribed. However, in the presence of pregnancy, aspirin is strictly prohibited!
Blood clotting drugs should be taken strictly as prescribed by the doctor, and the treatment regimen should be regularly adjusted depending on new laboratory data, which are obtained from subsequent analyzes. After all, taking medications to thin the blood can cause uncontrolled internal hemorrhage.
General recommendations available
In addition to pharmaceutical preparations, there are a lot of readily available methods and agents that reduce blood coagulation. For instance:
- Drink plenty of water: at least 1.5-2 liters per day.
- Replacing black tea with cranberry as well as grape juice, these napiki reduce platelet activity by 75%.
- Every day you need to eat vegetables, mainly tomatoes and cucumbers.
- Every day diet should contain iodine-rich seaweed and sea fish.
- Of the fruits, grapefruit is most useful, it is an excellent natural remedy to reduce blood coagulation.
- Effective use of infusions (burdock, cherry, sweet cherry, St. John's wort).
- Other blood clotting products: dry red wine (no more than 1 glass per day), unrefined olive and linseed oil, nuts, sprouted wheat grains, bell pepper, onion, garlic and raspberry jam (a couple of spoons daily for six months).
Recommended Infusions
How to reduce blood coagulation with folk remedies? Traditional medicine recommends the following recipes for preparing tinctures:
- From chestnut. 50 g of chestnut (horse) peel is poured into 0.5 l of vodka and allowed to brew for 14-15 days in a dark place. Take 30 drops per day 30 minutes before meals, diluting with water. The course of treatment is 3 weeks, and then you need to take a break. There are contraindications: low blood pressure, gastritis, menstrual irregularities, problems with constipation. Before use, you should always consult your doctor, because in the process of treatment there is a risk of opening internal bleeding.
- From mulberry. Mulberry roots are poured with water and brought to a boil. The course of treatment is 5 days.
- From the galega officinalis. The infusion is sold at the pharmacy, ready for use. You need to take 30 drops 3 times a day, the course of admission is 1 month 1 time per year.
- From gingo biloba. Ginko biloba leaves insist on alcohol. Drink 3 times a day for 0.5 tablespoon 30 minutes before meals. The course of treatment is 1 month, and then a break for 7 days.
- From ginger. Ginger root is rubbed, poured with boiling water, green tea and cinnamon are added to taste. If desired, you can add lemon or honey. A day you need to drink 0.5 liters of this tea-tincture.
These methods are good for lowering blood coagulation.