Blood clotting, or hemostasis, is a normal process that stops blood loss, repairs damaged tissue, and dissolves the protective barrier. Abnormal clotting can lead to thrombus formation, strokes, or heart attacks. Health conditions and medications can also affect the clotting process.
A normal blood clotting process begins when the body suffers an injury to any blood vessel. The clotting process stops blood loss, builds a protective barrier, repairs damaged tissue, and finally dissolves the protective barrier. This whole clotting process is known as hemostasis.
During a normal clotting process, after a cut or other injury, an event called vasospasm can cause smooth muscle in small blood vessels to constrict. Vasospasm could reduce blood loss almost instantly. In another step, blood components that encounter a damaged blood vessel will clump together and form a platelet plug, through a chain reaction of blood-clotting chemicals known as clotting factors.
This process also creates a protein called fibrin, which is stronger than the platelet plug. The network structures of the fibrin form the clot proper. In ruptured vessels, fibroblasts, which are a type of cell found in connective tissue, enter the clot and increase its strength.
Anticoagulant factors in the blood balance the clotting factors to ensure that the clot does not get too large. As the wound heals, the blood clot is broken down and absorbed by the body. The hard fibrin is broken down by an enzyme known as plasmin.
When blood is flowing normally, clotting does not occur. Blood clotting processes, however, may occur abnormally within the vessels or heart. In abnormal clotting, a blood clot known as a thrombus may form in the blood vessels. Strokes or heart attacks can occur if a blood clot affects the blood supply to the brain or heart. Abnormal clotting is linked to atypical heartbeat and atherosclerosis.
Legs that sit still for too long, allowing blood to pool, are also at risk of blood clots forming. This condition is known as deep vein thrombosis. People who take extended plane flights and don’t have enough room to stretch their legs should be careful about moving around on the plane frequently.
Some health conditions can cause blood clotting problems. For example, in hemophilia, a person who has this condition may experience excessive bleeding. Another condition in which blood clots form slowly is von Willebrand factor deficiency. An immune disorder known as immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) can also cause bleeding disorders due to low platelets.
Medicines such as aspirin, heparin, warfarin and clopidogrel can affect the blood clotting process. Some of these might be prescribed specifically to increase blood flow and reduce clotting. Some supplements, such as fish oil, can also slow blood clotting.
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