Goldie Harvey Killed by Blood Clot.

It has been revealed that the talented Nigerian Artiste Goldie Harvey who passed away yesterday was killed by Blood Clot. She only just arrived Nigeria from Los Angeles where she went to attend the Grammy Awards 2013.

Blood clot causes

There are several factors that significantly increase someone’s risk of developing a venous thrombosis:

• Slowing of blood flow through the veins - for example, when someone is confined to bed by illness or to a chair on a long journey
• Damage to the walls of the blood vessels - for example, during surgery on the legs, hips or pelvis, or as a result of age-related changes
• Increased tendency of the blood to clot - because of inherited problems with the blood’s clotting system, cancer or the hormone changes of pregnancy or the contraceptive pill

Those particularly at risk include:

• The elderly - one in 100 over the age of 80 are at risk
• Those who are immobile, because of illness, surgery or travel
• People undergoing surgery on the hips and knees - more than half of those people having a total hip replacement will develop a DVT if not given preventative medicine
• Heart attack or stroke patients
• People with cancer, especially after surgery or if they’re havingchemotherapy.
• Women during pregnancy, or if they're using the contraceptive pillor HRT
• Those with previous blood clotting problems - including inherited abnormalities of clotting, which are much more common than most people realise 
• Smokers 

Blood clot symptoms

When a clot forms, it blocks the vein, preventing blood from draining from the limb as it should. The result is that the leg becomes swollen and painful, may change colour (turning pale, blue or reddish-purple) or the skin appears tight or shiny.

More worrying is the risk that part of the clot will break away, forming what is known as an embolus which travels around the circulation, through the heart and into the lungs where it blocks a blood vessel. This is known as a pulmonary embolus (PE) and estimates suggest that as many as 50 per cent of those with a DVT will go on to develop a PE.

The symptoms of PE include chest pain and shortness of breath, which may be sudden and severe. Although some people develop a PE without noticing any symptoms, it can be extremely dangerous and cause damage to the lung tissues proving fatal in as many as one in ten unless treated.

Long term complications include chronic pulmonary hypertension, where the pressure in the blood vessels of the lung remains persistently high.

If the DVT damages the delicate valves that help to keep blood flowing upwards towards the heart, a condition called post-phlebitic syndrome may develop (occurring in one in five after a DVT). As a result, blood pools in the lower leg, increasing pressure in the vessels, causing swelling of the leg and ankle and a heavy sensation, especially after walking or standing. Skin ulcers may also develop.