Arterial thrombosis

Arterial thrombosis

• About arterial thrombosis
• Symptoms of arterial thrombosis
• Causes of arterial thrombosis
• Diagnosing arterial thrombosis
• Treating arterial thrombosis
• Preventing arterial thrombosis

About arterial thrombosis

Arterial thrombosis is a blood clot that develops in an artery. It’s dangerous as it can obstruct or stop the flow of blood to major organs, such as the heart or brain.

If a blood clot narrows one or more of the arteries leading to the heart, muscle pain known as angina can occur.

If a blood clot blocks the arteries leading to part of the heart muscle, it will cause a heart attack. If it blocks an artery in the brain, it will cause a stroke.

Symptoms therefore depend on where the blood clot has formed.

Find out more about the symptoms of arterial thrombosis

Who’s at risk of arterial thrombosis?

Most cases of arterial thrombosis are caused when a process called atherosclerosis damages an artery.

Fatty deposits build up on the walls of the arteries and cause them to harden and narrow.

Find out more about the causes and risk factors for developing arterial thrombosis

Treating arterial thrombosis

There are two main types of treatment for arterial thrombosis.

Medication

Medication can help dissolve clots and restore the flow of the blood to the brain or heart.

Surgery

Surgery involves a surgeon accessing the affected artery. They will either:

• unblock it
• re-route the blood flow via another blood vessel
• “graft” the blood vessel to travel around, or past, the section that’s blocked

Find out more about the treatment of arterial thrombosis

Preventing arterial thrombosis

If you’ve had a blood clot in an artery, you may need to take medication to prevent it from happening again.

It’s also vital that you live a healthy lifestyle. This includes:

• stopping smoking (if you smoke)
• doing some physical activity
• reducing the amount of salt and saturated fat that you eat