One month after the US election and another post about politics and blood clots – Did you know that Hillary Clinton has a significant history of blood clots and is on long term anticoagulants?
She has had three episodes of thrombosis.
DVTs in 1998 and 2009
Hillary Clinton had her first DVT in 1998 while she was the first Lady. She was on a fund raising trip to New York when she developed symptoms and was treated at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda. She was found to have a blood clot behind her knee.
Clinton wrote in her memoir, ‘Living History”, that it ‘the most significant health scare I’ve ever had.” She had a second episode of a DVT in 2009. Her third episode of thrombosis is more unusual and is not thought to be related to the first two. In December 2012 she had an episode of diarrhoea and vomiting which led to dehydration, during this illness she fainted on one occasional and had a head injury with a period of concussion. Investigations at the time revealed that she had a transverse cerebral sinus thrombosis.
Transverse Cerebral sinus thrombosis

A Transverse cerebral sinus thrombosis is a blood clot in one of the venous sinuses that drains blood from the brain. The venous drainage of the brain is slightly different to other parts of the body. The blood is delivered to the brain through major arteries it then drains into large vessels or sinuses around the brain. The transverse sinus is towards the back of the head. There are many causes for this condition including trauma and dehydration which may have contributed in Hillary’s case. It can also be a complication of the contraceptive pill and can occur in pregnancy. One of the first signs of this condition is a headache which can be quite severe. This is potentially a very serious condition and can lead to a stroke and seizures. In the largest published serious of cases about 8% died. It is treated with warfarin for 6 to 12 months and more than half the patients make a complete recovery, which was the case for Hillary. Opponents of Mrs Clinton’s campaign for presidency claimed that the fact she has had these medical problems would impair her ability to be President, but there is no evidence that a cerebral sinus thrombosis has any longterm effects.
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