Varicose Veins, Thrombophlebitis, Blood Clots, and Pulmonary Emboli: Why They Happen, and to Whom

A very clear explanation. Appreciate the medical terms as well as the common terms for the conditions.

Thank you,

Dean

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

2009-Apr-06

Blood clots can lead to many health complicatons including stroke and are more common among inactive and/or obese individuals.

Blood clots are life threatening however exercise can help prevent their formation and assist in dissoving of existing clots. This fact was discovered and presented to the American Heart association in 2003 by the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.

The study found that levels of an essential blood clot dissolver known as tissue type plaminogen activator (t-PA) are greatly diminished in overweight men (by as much as 30%). This reduced protection in the blood stream leads eventually to problems with blood clots.

Walking for a period of three months for a mere 45 minutes a day, five days a week however increased the amount of t-PA in the obese participants blood by as much as 50%. The study showed that after this walking regimine the obese subjects had similar levels of t-PA in their blood to that of lean participants in the study. Read more at http://www.trekdesk.com/walk/Blood_Clot.html