Symptoms The most common symptoms of a DVT in the leg are swelling and pain in the affected leg. Symptoms of a blood clot in the leg include swelling of the calf, pain in the lower leg, tenderness in the middle of the calf muscle, and mild swelling around the ankle. These symptoms are caused by the accumulation of blood that is unable to get past the clot in the vein and the resulting leakage of fluid from the blood into the muscle.
Many other conditions exhibit symptoms similar to those of a DVT, for example, muscle strains, skin infections, and inflammation of superficial veins. A DVT, therefore, is difficult to diagnose without specific tests in which the deep vein system can be examined.
Furthermore, many patients with a DVT have no symptoms at all unless the clot dislodges, travels to the lung, and causes a pulmonary embolism. In this case, the patient may develop a rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, sharp chest pain that worsens with deep breathing, or cough up blood. If the pulmonary emboli are large and block one or both of the major pulmonary arteries sending blood to the lungs, the patient may develop a very low blood pressure, pass out, and possibly die from lung or heart failure. As is the case with DVTs, however, many other conditions, for example, a heart attack or pneumonia, can mimic a pulmonary embolism. Therefore, specific tests must be done to confirm the diagnosis.
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