Dear Dr. Roach: My brother-in-law has had blood clots in his legs twice before. Now he has another one in his calf, and tests showed several in his lungs! What causes blood clots, and how can you prevent them? M.K.E.
Answer: The body must have a robust ability to stop bleeding, which needs to be ready at any time. That ability has a cost: possible inappropriate clotting inside the body.
Most people will never have a problem with inappropriate clotting, but there are dozens of medical conditions that can increase the risk. Some of these run in…
