What are the signs and symptoms of blood clots in children?

• DVTs or blood clots in young people can happen in different parts of the body.
• Signs and symptoms depend on the area of the body affected. It also depends on how much the blood clot blocks the blood flow through the vein.
• DVTs in the leg or arm usually cause painful swelling in the area.
• Children can experience blood clots in the deep veins in the brain. These veins bring blood flow back toward the heart. Children with these brain blood clots often have severe prolonged headaches. This headache is usually worse in the early morning and may include blurred vision.
• PE or lung clot symptoms include shortness of breath and chest pain that worsens with deep breathing.

Neil A. Goldenberg, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine,
Baltimore, MD, USA

Chief Research Officer and Director, Thrombosis Program,
All Children’s Hospital Johns Hopkins Medicine and All Children’s Research Institute,
St. Petersburg, FL, USA

Download: Blood Clots and Children Resource PDF