A thrombus can form inside the arterial or venous blood vessels, as well as it can form in the heart. Depending on the place where it develops, the thrombus takes on different characteristics and can lead to the onset of various pathologies and consequences.
The underlying causes of thrombus formation are generally related to vascular endothelium, blood flow (turbulence and stasis) and platelet aggregation. All the factors capable of negatively influencing or otherwise altering one or more of these aspects of the cardiovascular system, therefore, are potentially capable of predisposing to the risk of the formation of one or more thrombi.
insoluble present inside the clots but not in the circulating blood which is formed from fibrinogen - or factor I - following a complex chain reaction also known as the "coagulation cascade"). white blood cells may also be present.
In other words, a thrombus can be defined as a blood clot formed inside a blood vessel (venous or arterial), or inside the heart.
Normally, the formation of clots in response to an injury is a positive phenomenon, as it slows and stops blood loss. Just think, for example, of what happens when you injure your skin: coagulation sets a limit and stops bleeding, preventing unpleasant consequences. However, when the clot is formed inside a blood vessel or intracardiac level, it represents a real danger for the individual, since it can create occlusion by obstructing blood flow, as well as detaching itself from the area in which it is. formed by reaching other parts of the body and giving rise to serious consequences (for example, pulmonary thromboembolism).
and cardiac);For more detailed information on the aforementioned factors and the mechanisms of action through which they are able to favor the formation of a thrombus, we recommend reading the dedicated article: Virchow's Triad.
