In the body, the circulatory system is necessary in order to transport oxygen and other nutrients. They enter the tissues and cells. That is why, if any pathological processes develop, the work of all internal systems is disrupted. If the blood is thick, its composition is disturbed. This consistency appears due to an increase in the number of hematocrit, an increase in red blood cells and directly hemoglobin. Before you understand why a person has thick blood, and how to cure it, it should be noted that all of the above indicators change with age, so the norm for people of different ages will be different.
About the state of the body
The treatment for the occurrence of thick blood in a person depends entirely on the causes of this condition. You need to understand that this symptomatology is not a separate disease. It only says that there is some kind of inflammation in the body.
Blood consists of plasma and blood cells. The density of the liquid depends on the latter. The concentration of elements in the blood is much greater than plasma. The latter consists of water. Moreover, this fluid contains about 90% of it. The remaining 10% is dry matter. In addition, proteins and salts are also part of the plasma. It should be noted that the quantitative composition of plasma and blood is generally different in men and women. Density depends on fibrinogen and prothrombin.
Why is there more hematocrit in the body?
The reasons that the blood became thick can be various processes. If we talk about hematocrit, then in women and men, in principle, the same factors provoke its increase. However, most often a similar problem occurs in men. Consider the reasons that can lead to an increase in this indicator, and accordingly, provoke the appearance of thick blood in women and men.
Dehydration
Dehydration can occur if a person has diabetes, kidney problems, chronic pyelonephritis, persistent diarrhea, also constant vomiting, fever. With insufficient fluid in the body, the consistency of the blood can change. People who live in places with high ambient temperatures will also have dehydration.
A similar condition occurs in people who are sick and their temperature rises. Such a reaction is natural, as the body tries to normalize the condition. Thus, a person begins to sweat profusely, and he has frequent urination. The most common cause of thick blood in women is dehydration.
Reception of medical devices
Thick blood may appear when taking certain medications that adversely affect plasma status. Most often this happens due to the fact that the plasma loses its liquid part. That is why the hematocrit rises. As a rule, contraceptives and medicines that restore erectile function, as well as medications necessary for the treatment of the adrenal glands, cause this. Such drugs can be taken only with the permission of a doctor. It is necessary to compare the course of treatment with a specialist and observe the dosage. Often, the cause of thick blood in men is the medication they are taking.
Metabolic disease
If a person has problems with the intestines, stomach and liver, some of the metabolic products may not be oxidized sufficiently. That is why there is an increase in the blood of special elements, as well as glucose. Against the background of the fact that the plasma remained in its usual composition, after the addition of such elements, it becomes dense. For such reasons, a person will notice swelling of the skin. This is due to the fact that water will be excreted through fatty tissue.
Respiratory system diseases
Due to the fact that a person may have problems with the respiratory system, he slows down the process of oxygen supply to the body. If this substance is not enough, then the patient begins hypoxia. In addition, the blood begins to oxidize. Because of this, the shaped elements begin to accumulate in the vessels. Accordingly, a person has hypoxia, as well as problems with blood flow. As a result, the pathological condition of a person worsens, and the blood begins to thicken.
Cholesterol
If a person has high blood cholesterol, then it will acquire a dense concentration. Moreover, this may be due not only to an increased amount of cholesterol, but also to other elements.
Ingestion of various pathogens
If a person becomes infected with any infection, it doesn’t matter of a viral or bacterial nature, and also has parasitic forms of diseases, then immunity begins to work actively. Protective cells enter the bloodstream, where, after fighting the virus, they begin to die. Because of this, the plasma concentration changes. This is due to the fact that some white blood cells are in the intestinal layer. Due to this, the vessels do not overflow. However, if we are talking about an infectious pathology or a worm disease, then the white blood cells return to the blood, so the viscosity increases.
Stress
Stress also affects the amount of elements that are in the blood. It can be cholesterol, glucose and so on. At the same time, in order for the hematocrit to increase, a person needs to regularly experience any shocks. If we are talking about episodic stresses, then the state of the circulatory system does not change. It should also be noted that the periodic release of adrenaline into the bloodstream, which occurs due to nervous exhaustion, increases not only the concentration of blood, but also adversely affects the bone marrow. If stress has caused thick blood, treatment will not be difficult.
Additional reasons
At the moment, there are many factors that affect blood concentration. They also include, in addition to the above, hepatitis, cirrhosis, leukemia, varicose veins, burns, as well as some other diseases. It should be noted and malnutrition. This reason is one of the most popular. This is due to the fact that products with foreign elements that settle on the cells enter the body. That is why the immune system releases its elements in order to get rid of such substances. Accordingly, for some time after eating, a person may thicken blood.
In babies
Before you start to worry, you need to understand that babies have slightly different normal rates. They also differ from the indicators that should be in children older than a year. These numbers will become normal over time. As a rule, newborns have a large amount of hemoglobin and red blood cells. This is due to the fact that the body does not understand the situation in which it has entered, and begins to respond. However, by the year all indicators are normalized, and the body will function as expected. To treat thick blood, the reasons should be clarified soon.
In pregnant women
It should be noted that during pregnancy, a woman's body changes very much. These changes are needed so that the fetus can adapt and fully form. However, some of them negatively affect the condition of the mother. Of particular note is thick blood, which also affects the baby. If a woman has hematocrit, then this may be due to the fact that she does not have enough enzymes, or maybe she takes medications containing iron. As a rule, such medications are prescribed if hemoglobin is lowered. If there is little water in the body, vitamin deficiency, and also a lack of minerals, then this can also cause thick blood during pregnancy.
If we are talking about pathological changes, the plasma thickens with loss of blood, severe pain, problems with the kidneys, liver and intestines, as well as with increased coagulation. It should be noted that the latter factor very often leads to miscarriage.
Often the hematocrit rises for a short period in pregnant women for no reason. This is considered a normal process. It does not affect the health of women and children. However, if there are several factors at the same time, due to which this effect occurs, then the condition itself worsens. You need to understand that in many pregnant women, thick blood is a reaction of the body to blood loss. Due to her, during childbirth, a woman will not die from blood loss.
If we talk about this pathology, then this problem can be called serious only if the plasma concentration exceeded the norm for pregnant women.
Complications
Most often, thick blood is observed in older people. This is due to the fact that the body is already poorly managing its functions. Therefore, less decay products enter the bloodstream. However, it should be noted that due to a similar state of the blood, a load on the cardiac system occurs. That is why some pathologies may occur. The occurrence of complications depends entirely on the reasons why this pathology occurred.
Consequences in adults
Very often, thick blood leads to the fact that little oxygen enters the organs, and the amount of nutrients that are necessary for the cells is also reduced. Radicals may be released. Hypoxia can occur. Often, due to this problem, atherosclerotic plaques are formed. Blood clots can merge with each other, so thrombosis can occur. Such processes provoke a stroke, heart attack, and can also sometimes lead to death.
Pregnancy Complications
It should be noted that most often the pathological process that develops in pregnant women passes much harder than in ordinary people. The fact is that thick blood, if it is not returned to its normal state in time, causes negative phenomena. One of them is a miscarriage. That is why special attention should be paid to the causes and treatment of thick blood in women in position.
In addition, the pregnancy process may stop, that is, die, there may be disturbances in the formation of the child, fetal hypoxia may also occur. If we talk about a woman, then she may have a stroke or a heart attack. Often there is varicose veins. Especially it appears on the lower extremities. If you do not take any measures when the blood of a pregnant woman becomes thick, you can lose a child.
Symptomatology
As a rule, the problem of thick blood does not cause any symptoms. However, if increased hematocrit occurs, then the following symptoms may appear. A person will feel thirsty, he will have constant shortness of breath, the skin will be dry, there will be muscle weakness, there will be tachycardia for no reason, heaviness will be felt in the head, and the limbs will become cold. If the child has thick blood, the symptoms will be tearful.
Diagnostics
Before you understand how to fix this problem, you need to find out the process of diagnosing thick blood. For this, it is necessary to pass a general analysis, conduct a coagulogram. It is especially necessary for pregnant women. This will determine if there is a pathological condition. You need to pass a biochemical analysis, do a glucose tolerance test, and also pass urine. This study needs to be carried out in order to understand how many uniform elements are in the blood, and if there are any deviations.
Drug treatment
In order to get rid of such an ailment, it is necessary to carry out activities that are aimed at diluting the blood and suppressing the symptoms. Thick blood in men and women is treated with the same drugs, if there are no contraindications. To do this, you need to drink medications that restore the metabolic process, medications that can get rid of blood clots and eliminate them, and you also need to take measures to protect yourself from the tumor.
As a rule, "Aspirin", "Dipyridamole", as well as some other drugs are prescribed. Thanks to them, normalization of blood flow and blood thinning occurs. However, they are not prescribed if a person has an ulcer, asthma, liver problems, hypertension, allergies, and also if it is a pregnant woman. In this case, the doctor selects individually additional drugs.
Proper nutrition
To dilute blood, you can use not only drugs. If we are talking about pregnant women and those who can not take the above funds, you can normalize the diet. It is advisable to follow such a diet for everyone. However, some products will have to be abandoned. The doctor must determine what you can not eat, based on the characteristics of the body. As a rule, diet food involves adding some spices to the diet. Especially we are talking about turmeric and dill. Thyme and ginger will also be helpful. They will also be useful in treating thick blood in women.
It is necessary to use a liquid. The patient should drink up to 2 liters. It is advisable to drink clean still water. At the same time, you need to drink it not at a time, but during the whole day. It is necessary to reduce salt intake to a minimum. Because of it, the liquid is poorly excreted from the body, so swelling can occur. You need to eat foods that have ascorbic acid. It's about berries, fruits and so on. Especially suitable are those fruits that have either a red or orange hue.
Refuse should be from milk and any dairy products, as well as meat, yolk, chocolate, coffee and bread. They are often the cause of thick blood.
ethnoscience
It should be noted that with viscous blood often traditional medicine gives positive results. It is advisable to take all the agents described below only after consultation with your doctor.
You can use ginger root. This plant must be chopped, mixed with cinnamon and added to the tea that a person will drink. You can take this composition no more than three times a day. You need to drink it only after eating.
Vegetable collection is great. It is necessary to use hawthorn, wild rose and currants. You can also add calendula flowers. They must be mixed in equal proportions, chopped and added to boiling water 4 tbsp. l This composition should heat up for 20 minutes. The finished product can be taken after a meal. This treatment of thick blood will be effective.
Dogrose, hawthorn, calendula are also an effective way. In order to prepare the medicine, it is necessary to pour 4 tbsp. l mixtures of these products with two glasses of boiling water. Put on fire and boil. It is advisable to keep on fire for about 20 minutes. Then let it brew. The infusion period lasts at least 6 hours. You can take this composition one glass at least three times a day.
Prevention
In order to protect yourself from a similar problem, you need to pay attention to diet food. To prevent the formation of thick blood, the reasons for this must be warned: it is necessary to engage in physical exercises, as well as abandon bad habits. You should pay attention to a healthy lifestyle. Often because of this, athletes rarely have such a problem.
Summary
It should be noted that thick blood is a rather serious symptom. It never arises just like that, so it is imperative to consult a doctor and urgently need to conduct treatment. Especially when it comes to young children, the elderly or pregnant women. It should also be noted that this symptom is most often found in men. If you eliminate this problem in time and treat infectious diseases, as well as engage in prevention, that is, eat healthy foods, do not drink alcohol, drugs and do not smoke, as well as play sports and drink at least 2 liters of water per day, then you will never problems with thick blood. What to do in case of the appearance of these symptoms, we examined in detail.
With regard to treatment, then, as a rule, they use either traditional or folk. It should be noted that the latter methods involve simply thinning the blood. However, it should be understood that it is mandatory to treat the cause, not the symptom. As soon as the influencing factors are eliminated, the blood will immediately return to normal.