1. Factor V
Leiden Stephanie Palmer
Period 4/5 Rieger
http://www.bmj.com/content/313/7065/1127/F1.large.jpg
2. Thesis
Factor V Leiden is not a
very commonly used
phrase in the world like
cancer or AIDS.It is a gene
mutation that could
http://www.lilygiles.co.uk/
Cool_Background_2.jpg
6. What is Factor
•-Gene mutation, not a
disease
•-Makes patients more likely
to develop a clot
•-Hereditary
•-Factor V gene: protein for
blood to clot properly
•-DVT & Pulmonary Embolus Hamilton Health Science (Aug. 2007). PDF file.
http://topnews.com.sg/images/genes.jpg
7. Thrombo
•Intravascular
coagulation of
the blood in any
part of the
Definition of Thrombosis." MedicineNet.
MedicineNet, Inc, 1996. Web. 27 Feb.
2011. <http://www.medterms.com/script/main/
art.asp?articlekey=25023
http://spl225.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/dictionary11.jpg
8. What is a Blood
•thrombus
•form when there is
damage to vein
•blood begins to clot if it
stops moving and
becomes stagnant
http://trendsupdates.com/key-molecular-mechanism-of-blood-clotting-discovered/
9. How a Normal Blood
Clot Forms
✓Blood clotting cells are drawn to site of
injury.
✓Enzyme reactions occur on the surface of
the platelets
✓Activated Protein C inactivates factor V
✓Clot remains in place
Ornstein, Deborah L., and Mary Cushman. "Factor V Leiden." Circulation: Journal
http://www.daviddarling.info/images/
of the American Heart Association (2003): n. pag. Print.
blood_clot_formation.jpg
10. Lets Look at a
Blood Clot Video. HealthLine. Web. 30 Mar. 2011.
<http://www.healthline.com/
12. Symptoms
Deep Vein
• pain
• tenderness
• swelling
• change in color
• increased warmth to touch
• feels “tight”
Ornstein, Deborah L., and Mary Cushman. "Factor V Leiden." Circulation: Journal
of the American Heart Association (2003): n. pag. Print.
http://www.psdgraphics.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/red-grunge-background.jpg
13. Symptoms
Pulmonary
•sudden shortness of breath
•apprehension (anxiety)
•rapid pulse
•sweating
•sharp chest pain
•unexplained cough
Ornstein, Deborah L., and Mary Cushman. "Factor V Leiden." Circulation: Journal
of the American Heart Association (2003): n. pag. Print.
http://www.psdgraphics.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/red-grunge-background.jpg
14. Risk
•pregnancy
•dehydration
•smoking
•immobility •venous
access
•medications devices
containing
estrogen
http://www.flickr.com/photos/r000pert/80415260/sizes/m/in/photostream/
•chronic
Ornstein, Deborah L., and Mary Cushman. "Factor V Leiden." Circulation: Journal
of the American Heart Association (2003): n. pag. Print.
15. Ways to reduce
• try to maintain ideal body weight
• stay active
• avoid prolonged immobility
• Don’t smoke
• keep other medical problems under
control
Ornstein, Deborah L., and Mary Cushman. "Factor V Leiden." Circulation: Journal
of the American Heart Association (2003): n. pag. Print. http://www.psdgraphics.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/red-grunge-background.jpg
16. “The tongue like
a sharp knife...
kills without
drawing blood.”-
http://raisingrrl.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/o005-buddha-w-
http://thinkexist.com/quotes/with/keyword/blood/
beads-jade.jpg http://www.ancientsculpturegallery.com/
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/picture/upload/buddha-leafs.jpg
images/2982.jpg
17. Obtaining
the Gene
"Heterozygous Factor V Leiden." Chart. Hamilton Health Sciences. N.p., 17 Aug.
2007. Web. 17 Feb. 2011. <http://www.stoptheclot.org/documents/
FactorVLeiden-lw.pdf>.
18. Obtaining the Gene
"Homozygous Factor V Leiden." Chart. Hamilton Health Sciences. N.p., 17 Aug.
2007. Web. 17 Feb. 2011.
21. Transluminal
•Opens narrowed
tricuspid &
pulmonary valves or
veins
•series of inflation-
deflation cycles are
required to enlarge
"Percutaneous Transluminal Balloon Valvuloplasty." National Heart Centre
http://img.tfd.com/dorland/thumbs/angioplasty_balloon.jpg Singapore. N.p., 2010. Web. 20 Feb. 2011. <http://www.nhcs.com.sg/
patientcare/ConditionsAndTreatments/Pages/
22. Stents
•wire metal mesh
tube used to open
an artery
•reduces re-
narrowing which
occurs after
balloon procedure
"Stents." National Lung and Blood Institute . N.p., n.d. Web. 24
http://www.medgadget.com/archives/ Feb. 2011.
http://www.topnews.in/files/Medicated_Stents.2007.jpg
http://www.topnews.in/files/Medicated_Stents.2007.jpg http://www.medgadget.com/archives/img/Stent---side.jpg img/Stent---side.jpg <http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/stents/
23. Testing For
Activated Protein C Resistance (APCR)." Florida
Hospital Center forThrombosis
Reasearch. N.p., 2008. Web. 27 Feb. 2011.
<http://www.fhthrombosis.com/APCR>.
http://www.factorvracing.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Factor-V-Blood-Clot-Testing.jpg
27. •
Injection
Loveno •helps reduce
risk of
developing
DVTs
•alters normal
clotting
What is Lovenox (enoxaparin)?" Greenwich Hospital (Sept.
2008): 2. PDF file.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GsSpcCFkJdU/THw8xphCZtI/AAAAAAAABPA/VxbleyglVMU/s1600/75101154.caBX2gDb.syringe44671s.jpg
28. How does
•acts with antithrombin III which
neutralize activated Factor X
•inhibits the 2 clotting factors
Monson, Kristi, PharmD, and Arthur Schoenstadt, MD. "Lovenox." MedTV. N.p., 10
Aug. 2010. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. <http://blood.emedtv.com/lovenox/
http://www.freefoto.com/images/1216/05/1216_05_54---Stop-Sign--Beatty--Nevada--USA_web.jpg?&k=Stop
+Sign%2C+Beatty%2C+Nevada%2C+USA lovenox.html>.
29. How to
• standard spot to inject is abdomen;
“pinch an inch”
• if you must adjust dosage, put in
sink
• pinch skin and fat
• stick need in as far as it goes
• inject medication slowly
http://www.fulloma.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/needles.jpg Monson, Kristi, PharmD, and Arthur Schoenstadt, MD. "Lovenox." MedTV. N.p., 10
30. Side
Effect
s
"Lovenox." MY-VARICOSE-VEINS.COM. N.p., 2007. Web. 29 Mar. 2011.
<http://www.my-varicose-veins.com/lovenox.html>.
31. Side
Effect HIT itching
s
Platelet levels drop
ion
r itat
ir bruising
om a
redn ma t
he
ess
"Lovenox." MY-VARICOSE-VEINS.COM. N.p., 2007. Web. 29 Mar. 2011.
<http://www.my-varicose-veins.com/lovenox.html>.
32.
33. Coumadin
•anticoagulant
medicine
•lowers
chance of
Coumadin. New Jersey: Bristol-
Myers Squibb, 2007. Print.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/captcuervo/740941026/sizes/z/in/photostream/
34. Once on
• Get regular blood test
• eat a normal, balanced diet: no leafy
greens
• take at the same time every day
Coumadin. New Jersey: Bristol-
Myers Squibb, 2007. Print.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4m3YdPyfLv8/SKr12hNfEpI/AAAAAAAAELw/BFMHzbbvNAU/s400/coumadin_pills.jpg
36. How Does
Coumadin
• Liver makes
clotting
factors
• blocks
formation
of clotting
Coumadin. New Jersey: Bristol-Myers
Squibb, 2007. Print.
http://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/projects/brecon-pharma/images/4-
pills-and-capsules.jpg
You always hear about people developing cancer or that someone has found out that they have AIDS or even that someone has the flu. What you never hear about though, is that someone has just found out that they have Factor V Leiden. This is why I would like to educate people about this topic and make it more known. I would also love to figure out what a person who has this mutation has to go through and how they deal with living with it. Through my applications, I am raising money in order to raise awareness to everyone.\n
My personal relevance is my sister,my mom, and I. On September 15, my mom gets a call from my sister Kelly saying that her leg feels like a ton of bricks, is swollen, and is basically disgusting looking. My mom used to be a nurse so she was worried and rushed down there. When she pressed on Kelly&#x2019;s leg, she couldn&#x2019;t feel it and it was hard. After being rushed to the ER, we learn that she had two blood clots: one in her leg that stretched from above her knee, into her pelvic area, into her groin and another one in her lungs. \n
After they figured out it was blood clot, they put her in ICU and ran medicine through her blood stream in order to attempt to dissolve both clots.They also put a tube in her leg to get the medication into the vein. After they realized it was not working enough, they rushed her into surgery. The doctors tried to do a balloon procedure, which I will explain later, which failed. Since that failed, she had to get 3 stents into her vein in her left leg. For the first couple of days she was not allowed to move. Kelly had to lay on her back just so the TPA, the medicine in order for the clot to dissolve, to work through her system. That took a couple more days for the clot to dissolve. Finally, everything was dissolved and she just had to wait for her prothrobintime levels to be up so she could finally be moved from ICU to a regular room.\n
Everything was going fine and dandy, until the first or second day after being moved into a regular room, she developed a clot around her PICC line. A PICC line is a Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter which is an IV line that puts medication from your arm to your heart so the heart can pump the medication to the rest of your body. She was then switched to a regular IV and had the medication inserted a different way so she did not have any more trouble with that. After 2 weeks in the hospital, she was aloud to be discharged. Once she was out of the hospital, the doctor told my parents that it would be best to get the rest of the family tested since it is an inherited mutation. On March 2, I went to the doctors in order to get my physical done for college and softball. My mom insisted that I get a blood test for the mutation since I was there. On March 10, I found out that I do indeed have the mutation. My mom is also positive for the mutation. Before we go on, you should know a couple terms before we go into Factor V Leiden.\n
What is Factor V Leiden? At first, my family thought it to be a disease, but it is actually a mutation of the Factor V gene which is the protein for blood to clot properly. There needs to be a balance of the proteins in order to make sure there is just enough clotting power. If there is not enough clotting power, this can lead to bleeding problems. On the other hand, if there is too much clotting power, it can lead to the formation of dangerous blood clots. Therefore, this mutation allows you to be more susceptible to clots. This mutation is hereditary and affects 1 in every 1,000 people and leads to 50,000 deaths. The 2 most deadly clots are in the lungs and legs, which is what my sister had. Those 2 clots, unfortunately are what would be the death of the victims. This only effects the veins, not arteries. Factor V Leiden is involved with 20 to 40% of venous thrombosis cases. \n
Factor V Leiden is placed under thrombosis. Thrombosis is the intravascular coagulation of the blood in any part of the circulatory system. This system includes the heart, arteries, veins, or capillaries. In some cases, the clot could potentially break lose and work its way through the bloodstream. We call this, a thromboembolism. This can be fatal. Once it goes through the heart and makes its way into your lungs, you&#x2019;re more than likely dead before the doctors, or you, find it. That is what kills the most people. They do not know that they have this gene mutation and when they get a clot, they don&#x2019;t know how to react or they just don&#x2019;t know that it is a clot and it breaks off and heads for their lungs. My sister&#x2019;s clot broke off and went into her lungs but thankfully, we caught it in time. \n
Blood clots. Blood clots are the outcome from this mutation. The medical term for a blood clot is &#x201C;thrombus.&#x201D; They only form when there is damage to a vein such as plaque build up or when you injure yourself. Eventually, once the clot builds up, the blood begins to slowly stop moving and just becomes motionless which is when people feel that there is something wrong. Damage to the vein could be that they were hit with something that it hit with such force it broke into the vein or it could be that plaque build up was so severe, it just broke into the insides of the veins and stopped blood flow. \n
Normally a blood clot forms like this. Platelets are drawn to the site of injury on the blood vessel where they form a loose plug over the leaky area. Then, enzyme reactions occur on the surface of platelets to generate strands of fibrin. Fibrin acts as a ban-aid to hold the platelets firmly to the injured site and prevent blood from leaking out. When enough fibrin has been made, APC inactivates factor V which helps stop the clot from growing any larger. Finally, the clot remains in place while other enzymes repair the damaged blood vessel. When you have a deficient factor V gene, the blood clot either just clots too much or won&#x2019;t clot as much as it should. \n
This is a video of what exactly a blood clot looks like. Whenever there is an injury to the blood vessel wall, blood clot will start to form and then blood cells along with the blood clotting platelets, which are the purple objects, that are trying to pass but cannot get through will just join that wall of the blood clot. Eventually, the wall will just keep forming until it completely closes the vessel. \n
The two deadly blood clots are DVT (deep vein thrombosis) and P.E&#x2019;s (pulmonary embolisms). A DVT is a blood clot in the veins in your leg whereas a P.E is a blood clot that occurs in your lungs. Majority of P.E&#x2019;s are formed due to the fact that the clot from the DVT broke off and then flowed all the way up through the blood stream, through the heart, and then ends up blocking the pulmonary opening in the lung. These two clots are what kills a majority of the people who have this mutation. \n
Signs that you may have a DVT are pain, tenderness, swelling, change in color, it&#x2019;s so warm to touch it you think the patient put a heating pad on it for while, and it feels tight. \n
Symptoms for a PE could be looked as a respiratory infection. The patient will have sudden shortness of breath, anxiety, rapid pulse, sweating profusely, have sharp chest pain, an unexplained cough, and fainting may occur. \n
There are quite a few risk factors that will contribute to a blood clot. Dehydration along with prolonged immobility and traveling. Smoking and secondhand smoke is a big contributor. Medications containing estrogen is what most blood clots in women are contributed from along with pregnancy. Pregnancy increases the risk of developing a DVT by about 7 times. Being overweight is also a big contributor since the veins are already narrowed. Chronic inflammatory diseases and venous access devices are contributors due to the fact that everything is east access to clots. \n
There are ways to reduce your risk for developing a blood clot. You can stay active and try to maintain an ideal body weight for your sex,gender, and age. Avoid prolonged immobility at all costs. If you have to, you should take baby aspirin and make sure you stretch your legs some how and attempt to walk around when possible. DO NOT SMOKE! This will kill you even faster than before. You are blocking everything in your lungs with smoke and nicotine. Therefore, blood cells will not be able to get by and develop a clot. Keep other medical problems under control and let your doctors know you have FVL. \n
&#x201C;The tongue like a sharp knife...kills without drawing blood.&#x201D; This may seem like it does not correlate with my project at all. However, I believe it does. Some cases of FVL is that nobody in the family ever develops a clot so they do not know that they have a clot and they consequently die due to either a PE or DVT. The blood is stuck behind the clot so therefore, it does not allow blood to be released which is where the end part reminds me of the mutation. \n
You should remember from Biology that heterozygous means one of the parent has the gene and the other does not. So, in this case, the patient inherited 1 Factor V Leiden gene from one of their parents. When this happens, you have 50% Factor V Leiden and 50% normal Factor V. Heterozygous Factor V Leiden occurs in about 5 out of 100 people of caucasian decent. \n
You should also remember that homozygous means the parent who is infected has a parent who&#x2019;s parents were both carrying the gene and passed it on while the other parent is clean. Since that&#x2019;s the case, you have 100% of Factor V Leiden and no normal Factor V. Homozygous Factor V Leiden affects less than 1 out of 100 people. Compared to heterozygous patients, homozygous patients are more likely to develop a clot. \n
Emily Harjehausen-Dobbins was adopted so she always had problems answering the doctors when they asked her,&#x201D;Do you have any family history?&#x201D; She asked her GYN if she could be put on birth control and she was put on it. That Tuesday after however, was not what she expected. She woke up and her calf felt like a mactruck ran over it. Since she was in college at the time, she called her mother who told her to call the doctor since it possibly could be a blood clot. The doctor told her to go to the ER. She learned that it was in fact a blood clot but not one as serious as a DVT. Emily was put on Ecotrin and was told to put hot packs on it every few hours. The pain went away. When she followed up with her GYN they did not think to test her for anything but once her and her husband found out they were pregnant, her new GYN freaked out when she found out about the clot. It was here that she found out that she was heterozygous for FVL. Since she was pregnant she was made a &#x201C;special case&#x201D; which meant that she would have to get ultra sounds more often and had non-stress tests. Sydney was born healthy and will be tested when she is older. \n
There are two ways you can try to dissolve the clot besides TPA. Doctors can either surgically put in a transluminal balloon. If this does not work, they will have to put stents into the vein. \n
The first thing they do to re-open the vein is using a transluminal balloon. This helps open narrowed pulmonary veins. Once placed, a series of inflation-deflation cycles are required to enlarge the narrowing. Now, you may be asking how they get the balloon into the vein. Well, first the physician isolates a vein and then inserts a large needle through the skin, into the vein. A guide wire is threaded through the needle into the vessel. Once this occurs, the needle is removed. A catheter with a balloon attached follows the venous system and into narrowed portion of vessels. The balloon is then inflated. The blood vessel is stretched to a larger diameter allowing more normal flow of blood. When this fails, like in my sister&#x2019;s case, a stent is inserted. \n
Another way to try and relieve the clot is by having a stent surgically put in. A stent is a wire, metal, mesh tube used to open the artery. This reduces the chance of it re-narrowing which happens after the balloon procedure has failed. It restores normal blood flow and keeps artery open. In order to put the stent in, the doctors inflate the balloon just as if they were doing a transluminal balloon procedure. The balloon then pushes against the plaque and crushes it against the artery wall. Once fully extended, the balloon expands the stent thus pushing it into place in the artery. Once in there, the balloon then deflates and is taken out along with the catheter. With those two out, the stent remains in the artery. Eventually, the cells will cover the mesh of the stent and then creates an inner layer which ends up looking like the inside of a regular blood vessel. \n
In order to test for this mutation, doctors will take two vials of blood from the patient. Then, the mutation is detected by polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, amplification of the Factor V gene. After this is done, it is followed by an oligonucleotide ligation assay, OLA. The biotinylated reaction products are hybridized to microspheres and allelic discrimination is performed by identifying microsphers and measuring the associated reported fluorescence. \n
On April 7, I had my first appointment with my Hematologist. First, my doctor just went over some things and then asked what I knew about the mutation already. After telling her what i knew, she went on about what i should do. First, she told me to get off my birth control because it&#x2019;s not worth the risk since the mutation gives me an even higher risk of developing a clot plus other factors. She then also told me that I should get a medical bracelet that says &#x201C;Heterozygote for Factor V Leiden.&#x201D; I was also told that if I have any vague signs of a clot, to go to the ER to make sure and basically say &#x201C;Hi. I&#x2019;m heterozygous for Factor V Leiden and my 24 year old sister had a really bad deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolus. PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO ME!&#x201D; \n
There are two ways you can control the mutation so you do not get another blood clot. One way is Lovenox, which is an injection. Another way is Coumadin, which is taken orally. \n
The first type of medication you could use is called Lovenox. This is medication that is injected into a person&#x2019;s abdomen area in order to distribute the medicine. \n
Lovenox is a lower molecular weight heparin type of medication. It works to prevent the formation of clots by binding to the antithrombin III enzyme. You do not have to get routine blood tests done for this medication which is uncommon for most blood thinners. This is the initial medication for trying to keep blood clots from reforming. It is only used if you have had a DVT or PE. After one shot of Lovenox, or however many the doctor decides is the best, Coumadin is then prescribed.\n
Again, Lovenox binds to the antithrombin III enzyme. This accelerates the activity of that enzyme. Since the antithrombin III enzyme inhibits two clotting factors (factor Xa and IIa), this medication effectively inhibits them as well. By doing this, the chance of clot formation is very slim. Lovenox does not break down clots. It just slows down clot formation which gives the body a chance to break down the clots on its own with its own mechanisms.\n
How do you inject the lovenox? The main spot you inject Lovenox is in the abdomen area. You pick the place on their abdomen, or even yours, where you can basically get an inch of their skin when you pinch the spot. You always want to be careful that you avoid the belly button region by a few inches. A good idea is to alternate the sites where you inject meaning that one day you inject in the left side and then the next you inject into the right side. Like any other time either you or your doctor would clean an area before either getting a shot or what have you, it would be best to clean the area with an alcohol swab throughly so there will be no type of reaction or infection. Let the alcohol dry and get the injection ready. Next, you must pinch the skin where you are going to inject. A good thing to know is that you will be keeping that skin fat pinched throughout the entire time. When you are ready to actually give the patient, or yourself, the injection, you must stick the needle in as far as it goes which is all the way to the hub basically. Do not inject the medication at a fast pace. Slowly inject the medication into the area. You do not want to do it fast because it could either go somewhere else in their body or not go at all. Also, do not remove the needle right away. You want to take it out slowly in order to help bleeding and bruising not occur. Afterwards, when you push down the plunger in order to activate the needle protection device, a little bit of left over medication will spray out. Aim it in an appropriate direction, like over a trashcan or in a sink. Dispose of the needle and you are done giving the injection. \n
There are few side effects for taking Lovenox. Since this is a injection medicine that goes under the skin and deep down, you may develop irritation such as the injection site being red and itchy. You could also develop bruising and possibly even a hemotoma. It is rare but a few people have the most severe side effect, HIT. HIT stands for "heparin induced thrombocytopenia." This is a syndrome in which the body develops antibodies to the Lovenox which results in paradoxical clotting inside the vessels but more often than not in the arteries due to the fact that your platelet levels dropped.\n
There are few side effects for taking Lovenox. Since this is a injection medicine that goes under the skin and deep down, you may develop irritation such as the injection site being red and itchy. You could also develop bruising and possibly even a hemotoma. It is rare but a few people have the most severe side effect, HIT. HIT stands for "heparin induced thrombocytopenia." This is a syndrome in which the body develops antibodies to the Lovenox which results in paradoxical clotting inside the vessels but more often than not in the arteries due to the fact that your platelet levels dropped.\n
There are few side effects for taking Lovenox. Since this is a injection medicine that goes under the skin and deep down, you may develop irritation such as the injection site being red and itchy. You could also develop bruising and possibly even a hemotoma. It is rare but a few people have the most severe side effect, HIT. HIT stands for "heparin induced thrombocytopenia." This is a syndrome in which the body develops antibodies to the Lovenox which results in paradoxical clotting inside the vessels but more often than not in the arteries due to the fact that your platelet levels dropped.\n
There are few side effects for taking Lovenox. Since this is a injection medicine that goes under the skin and deep down, you may develop irritation such as the injection site being red and itchy. You could also develop bruising and possibly even a hemotoma. It is rare but a few people have the most severe side effect, HIT. HIT stands for "heparin induced thrombocytopenia." This is a syndrome in which the body develops antibodies to the Lovenox which results in paradoxical clotting inside the vessels but more often than not in the arteries due to the fact that your platelet levels dropped.\n
There are few side effects for taking Lovenox. Since this is a injection medicine that goes under the skin and deep down, you may develop irritation such as the injection site being red and itchy. You could also develop bruising and possibly even a hemotoma. It is rare but a few people have the most severe side effect, HIT. HIT stands for "heparin induced thrombocytopenia." This is a syndrome in which the body develops antibodies to the Lovenox which results in paradoxical clotting inside the vessels but more often than not in the arteries due to the fact that your platelet levels dropped.\n
There are few side effects for taking Lovenox. Since this is a injection medicine that goes under the skin and deep down, you may develop irritation such as the injection site being red and itchy. You could also develop bruising and possibly even a hemotoma. It is rare but a few people have the most severe side effect, HIT. HIT stands for "heparin induced thrombocytopenia." This is a syndrome in which the body develops antibodies to the Lovenox which results in paradoxical clotting inside the vessels but more often than not in the arteries due to the fact that your platelet levels dropped.\n
There are few side effects for taking Lovenox. Since this is a injection medicine that goes under the skin and deep down, you may develop irritation such as the injection site being red and itchy. You could also develop bruising and possibly even a hemotoma. It is rare but a few people have the most severe side effect, HIT. HIT stands for "heparin induced thrombocytopenia." This is a syndrome in which the body develops antibodies to the Lovenox which results in paradoxical clotting inside the vessels but more often than not in the arteries due to the fact that your platelet levels dropped.\n
This is Coumadin. It is the medication given to a patient of venous thrombosis after the Lovenox treatment.\n
Coumadin is a blood thinner which reduces the formation of blood clots. The only way you would be told not to take the medication is if you have a chance of having bleeding problems higher than the benefit of treatment. Also, if you are pregnant or allergic to warfarin you should not take it. Even though Coumadin is supposed to help you and save your life, it could potentially cause serious bleeding problems. \n
PT/INR tests stands for Prothrombin Time and International Normalized Ratio. The tests are used to see how quickly the blood clots and whether you are getting the right amount of Coumadin. The number that comes out tells the doctor if the Coumadin is helping you or not. The reason why you should not have leafy greens in your diet because they contain vitamin K. Too much of vitamin K can lower the effect of Coumadin. Taking the medicine at the same time every day helps make the medicine be more affective.\n
Once on the medication, you must monitor every time you take the medication and how much. This allows the doctor to figure out if the medication is not working they can either up the dosage or lower it. The doctors just want to test out how the dosage amount that they first prescribe at first will react with your body and after how long you have been taking it. Another thing that monitoring the dosage will also help with you just remembering to take it. If your doctor sees that you missed taking the coumadin, he could either try to give you something else or try to work with you so you remember better. In order for the doctor to change the dosage is if they see something wrong with your PT/INR test.\n
Your liver makes clotting factors that help the blood clot prevent bleeding. Some blood clots can cause serious medical problems though. Coumadin blocks the formation of clotting factors in the liver that are dependent on vitamin K which prevents the formation of blood clots.\n
The most serious side effects of Coumadin are pain,swelling, or discoloration anywhere on your body. There could be a sudden leg or foot pain or possibly even purple toes and fingers. Sudden headache, dizziness or weakness is one of the most common. Unusual bleeding and bleeding that will not stop is very uncommon. Easy bruising and purple or red pinpoint spots under the skin will occur. Blood in your urine or dark urine along with jaundice may occur. Your skin may get pale and you possibly will feel light-headed and short of breath accompanied by rapid heart rate and trouble concentrating. If there is pain in your stomach,back or side you should go see your doctor. Less serious side effects are nausea, vomiting, mild stomach pain, bloating, and altered sense of taste. My sister gets headaches and an alternated sense of taste.\n
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I am donating all the money I have raised from my application components to the Thrombophilia Awareness Project. This foundation raises awareness about all types of blood disorders including Factor V Leiden. \n
