Warning signs of a blood clot you don’t want to ignore

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – According to health experts, COVID-19 infections may result in life threatening blood clots. Additionally, earlier this year the CDC put a hold on the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to look into a link between the shot and the risk of the rare side effect. 

It typically starts with tenderness, swelling and redness in one leg. It can also feel like cramping in the calf. All these signs are red flags that a blood clot may slowly be developing in the veins of a person’s lower leg. It is called deep vein thrombosis. 

News 8 spoke with Dr. Christopher Doehring, vice president of medical affairs at Franciscan Health. He says there can be serious consequences if the condition remains untreated.

“More life threatening and concerning is if that clot then migrates up towards the heart and lungs,” Doehring said. “That would be more along the lines of symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath or a pulmonary embolism which is a clot that’s traveled into the lungs.”

While clotting has occurred in some instances after vaccination, Doehring says those numbers pale in comparison to the risk of clotting as a result of infection. 

He also says side effects aren’t specific to the coronavirus vaccine. There are risks of side effects with all vaccines and he encourages people to weigh the risks versus the benefits when deciding to get vaccinated.