COVID-19-associated arterial thrombosis increases patients' risk of life-threatening blood clots that result in limb amputations, noted a report posted 9 August on HealthSite.com, an online publication headquartered in Mumbai, India.
The disease appears to make arterial thrombosis more severe, said interventional radiologist Dr. Rahul Sheth of Zen Multispecialty Hospital in Mumbai, according to the article.
"It is postulated that Covid-19 increases the blood's viscosity of the blood causing clots," Sheth said in the HealthSite report.
"When the blood flow in the artery is blocked due to the clots, there is no oxygen supply to the body parts. When this affects the legs, it can lead to severe leg pain, cold limbs and if untreated will progress to gangrene, requiring amputation or removal of the limb to save the patient's life. These blood clots can also travel all over the body and damage distant organs," Sheth added.
Early detection and treatment is crucial, according to Sheth, who warned that "symptoms like leg pain, pain in walking, the cold limbs should not be ignored, and a doctor should be consulted."
