Could worsening leg swelling indicate DVT?

Question

Hello doctor,

My friend has a swollen leg after the pain started on the side of his knee. He had trouble walking at first, and over the last few days, his leg has gradually become bigger.

The swelling became a lot more noticeable last night. I am worried it may be related to a blood clot in the leg, but I am not sure. Could you please advise on how soon he should be seen by a doctor through this platform and the appropriate specialist to see?

Please help.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com

Given the symptoms you describe, progressive swelling of the leg, pain in the knee, difficulty walking and a leg that has been growing in size over several days, this requires urgent medical attention and cannot wait for a routine appointment.Deep vein thrombosis ( DVT ) is a blood clot in a deep vein , usually in the leg . This can cause these symptoms . DVT can be dangerous because sometimes part of the clot can break off and travel to the lungs, leading to a potentially life-threatening pulmonary embolism (PE).Watch for the following warning signs and seek emergency medical attention immediately if any of the following occurs:

Sudden onset of shortness of breath.
Chest ache.
Fast heart rate.
Dizziness or loss of consciousness.
Coughing up blood (haemoptysis).

With the symptoms you describe, I strongly suggest that you take your friend to the nearest Emergency Room (ER) or urgent care center today for evaluation.Meanwhile:

Don’t massage or rub the swollen leg.
When possible, keep the leg up.
Don’t ignore the symptoms or wait for it to get better on its own.

The treating physician may order tests including:

A D-dimer blood test may be done to check for possible clot formation.
The Doppler ultrasound of the leg is the primary diagnostic tool or exclusion test for Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT).
Your doctor may order a Complete Blood Count (CBC) to check for infection or other blood problems.
Coagulation profile (PT/INR/aPTT) can help evaluate the body’s blood-clotting function.

If your symptoms are suggestive of a pulmonary embolism, your doctor may recommend a Chest X-ray or CT Pulmonary Angiogram to investigate further.Please have him urgently evaluated in the ER first and follow up later.

I hope this answers your questions.

Thank you.