What is D-Dimer?
Blood clotting is a natural healing process of your body, to prevent excessive blood loss from an accident. If any bleeding or injury happens in your blood vessels or tissues, your body naturally proceeds to construct a blood clot to stop the blood loss, this process is called hemostasis. Your body does not need any blood clots once the injury has healed, so then your body proceeds to break those blood clots through plasmin enzymes. After the blood clot breaking process, you may have some left fragments of that blood clot floating in the bloodstream, that fragment of protein is called D-dimer.
What is the purpose of the D-Dimer test?
The D-dimer test is used to help investigate the presence of any major blood clot in your body. Blood clotting disorder can be severe and life-threatening as well. This test used to identify three types of blood clotting disorder such as deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and disseminated intravascular coagulation.
When do you need a D-dimer test?
Your doctor may suggest you to take a D-dimer test if you are having any symptoms of the three types of blood clotting. The symptoms of deep vein thrombosis are leg swelling, leg pain and redness in the leg. Besides, the symptoms of pulmonary are chest pain, difficulties in breathing, cough, heart beating rapidly. However, a D-dimer test is usually done in a healthcare centre.
Any preparation needed and what happens during this test?
You do not need to do any special preparation to attend this test. A medical expert will take a small amount of blood from your arm, through a needle. This whole procedure would take not more than 5 minutes.
Is there any risk of having a D-dimer test?
Blood tests are very common and also a critical method to diagnose any serious disease. However, you may feel a slight pain and bruising around the spot where the needle has been put in. All the pain and bruising will go away within 1 or 2 days.
How to interpret the results?
A normal to low D-dimer level indicates you do not have any of the blood clotting diseases. A high level of D-dimer level means you possibly have a blood clotting disorder. However, a higher than normal D-dimer level can happen due to many other health reasons such as heart diseases, pregnancy, or for any recent surgery. Your doctor may give you more tests to conclude any particular disease.
Cart 
