What causes blood clot embolism

One of my friends who is about 30 years of age and amazingly healthy just died all of sudden of blood clot embolism within few days. I am very distressed. Kindly let me how this could have happened and how it can be avoided

Yusuf (by SMS)

Although a blood clot embolism in a healthy 30- year old is quite unusual, it could have been caused by many factors. These include a problem with the blood vessels such as an underlying undiagnosed malformation. It could also come from a hole in the heart wall between right and left sides. It is important for blood to clot outside at the site of an injury because we need a mechanism that prevents us from bleeding to death from the slightest injuries. However, blood is not expected to clot inside the blood vessels.

This unfortunately may be triggered by damage to the inner lining of blood vessels. And because of that a clot can form in the event of damage to that lining even if the vessel is not ruptured. For instance, atherosclerosis, in which plaques of cholesterol, fat and calcium stick to the lining of blood vessel can lead to damage to that lining causing clotting at that site. If the clot gets loose it can travel in the body and cause a heart attack, a stroke or pulmonary embolism. Another cause of clots is deep vein thrombosis which typically occurs in the veins of the legs from a variety of causes, from trauma to obesity to predisposition.

Prevention includes diet and exercise including avoidance of excessive weight loss. In some cases, anticoagulant medications may be necessary.

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