Symptoms and Complications
Inflammation in superficial or surface veins, such as those used to insert IV lines in the arm or to draw blood, can produce pain, redness, swelling, warmth, and discomfort. Blood clots that form in superficial veins rarely break loose and travel in the blood to cause blockage (in places such as the lungs).
While many people with DVT have no signs or symptoms, the classic symptoms are:
- firm swelling of the calf or leg
- pain or tenderness
- redness
- increased local temperature (warmth)
- dull, aching tightness in the calf, especially with walking
- dilatation (widening) of the surface veins of the leg
- shortness of breath (may be the first sign in some people)
DVT is often less painful than superficial thrombophlebitis but can lead to serious complications. The reason is that a blood clot that forms in deeper, larger veins (such as in the legs) can break free and become a traveling blood clot called an embolus. The embolus can travel and lodge in the lung; this condition is called a pulmonary embolism. This is a serious complication of DVT and occurs when the veins of the legs, arms, neck, abdomen, and pelvis are affected.
Because a deep vein clot may not cause symptoms early on, the first sign may be that the clot has broken loose and traveled to the lung. Symptoms of a pulmonary or lung embolus are breathlessness, fast heart rate (palpitations), rapid breathing (panting), chest pain, and coughing up blood. If you have any of these symptoms, you need to get emergency medical care right away.