Even Serena Williams can get a blood clot

PARRISH, Fla., March 2 (UPI) -- U.S. tennis champion Serena Williams' hospitalization for a blood clot shows even the most active and fit people are at risk, a doctor says.

Dr. John Mauriello, president of the American College of Phlebology, urges people to take deep vein thrombosis more seriously because a blood clot can break free in the leg and travel to the lungs or anywhere else in the body and can be life threatening.

Most DVT sufferers are older, obese or pregnant, but DVT can strike anyone under the right circumstances, especially if they:

-- are on bed rest.

-- smoke cigarettes.

-- suffer from heart failure.

-- had recent surgery.

Mauriello advises not to ignore mild pain or discomfort and look for symptoms including:

-- changes in skin color or redness in one leg.

-- increased warmth in one leg.

-- leg pain, tenderness or swelling in one leg.

"To prevent DVT wear compression stockings/socks -- these types of products will help improve blood flow in your legs -- and reduce your risk for blood clots from forming," Mauriello says in a statement.

"Anyone whose job or personal interests require a great deal of long-distance travel or sitting for extended periods of time should exercise while seated. Ames Walker.com has developed a podcast of exercises to help prevent blood clots from forming. It can be downloaded for free at www.economyclasssyndrome.net."