Can Anxiety Cause High D Dimer? (Other Conditions Responsible)

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D-dimer levels may go high or low. On their high end, you may suffer thrombosis, which proves fatal if untreated. Many causes, including anxiety, medication, pregnancy, cancer, or medication, may cause elevated D-dimer.

When a person is suffering from anxiety, they go through various issues, not just mentally but also physically.

While it does affect a person’s day-to-day life, can it also be held responsible for causing d dimer levels to rise? A high D-dimer test helps determine the risk of developing thrombosis.

It has gotten the doctors’ attention that some patients suffering from anxiety display high D-dimer results. In this article, we determine whether it’s true and look at various other reasons you might get a high D-dimer test result.

Have you had to undergo the D-dimer test?

A D-dimer test is used to diagnose clots and clotting disorders.

If you have a blood clot such as deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, D-dimer might build up or rise in level, potentially dangerous.

Thrombosis is when clotted or coagulated blood appears in a blood vessel. This condition occurs when fibrin degradation in the blood makes it possible to clot.

So, when doctors suspect the possibility of thrombosis, they will refer you to get a D-dimer test. In most cases, an underlying cause lies within our bodies.

If you get a high D-dimer test, it means you stand a risk of suffering from a thrombosis formation. A low D-dimer test will mean you will not likely suffer from this condition.

Does anxiety cause high D-dimer results?

If you suffer from severe anxiety, stress, and depression, you stand a high risk of getting high D-dimer test results.

The body releases an excess of endorphins when under stress and anxiety, and endorphin hormones help the brain block pain and regulate emotions.

During extreme pain, stress, and stress, the temporary blocking of pain by endorphins causes a rise in D-dimer levels.

So if you get the test, your D-dimer results will automatically be on the high end. Getting treated for anxiety will normalize your D-dimer levels.

Other conditions responsible for high D-dimer levels     

During pregnancy or after childbirth

A pregnant woman is smiling but might have high d dimer levels during pregnancy.

When a woman is pregnant or soon after childbirth, blood flows in higher amounts in her veins. An increase in blood flow in the veins increases the D-dimer levels.

However, consider this a temporary condition. The blood flow normalizes after giving birth, and D-dimer levels get lower.

Medications

Certain medications might be linked to high D-dimer. Heparin medications that prevent blood coagulation cause an increase in D-dimer.

Heparin contains anticoagulants that reduce fibrin breakdown items, thus increasing the D-dimer.

High calcium levels

High calcium levels in the body contribute to increased D-dimer levels. Calcium helps form fibrin breakdown products.

Blood might likely clot when the calcium increases, and the D-dimer test will be high.

Heart disease               

If you suffer from congestive heart failure, the D-dimer levels get high. The increased heart rate and blood pressure make it likely for the blood to cause a clot.

Due to this condition, you will test high for fibrin degradation properties.

Hormone replacement treatments

Most times, people undergoing hormonal replacement therapy often suffer increased D-dimer.

The orally taken hormones lead to fibrin breakdown products released into the bloodstream.

As this process happens, the fibrin breakdown products stick to the blood proteins initiating clot formation.

Some types of cancer

Anticoagulants found in cancer treatments cause fibrin breakdown products to be released into the bloodstream.

So, you will have high D-dimer test results when under treatment for cancer.

Inherited health conditions

Some people who suffer inherited conditions like Prothrombin gene mutation and Factor V Leiden suffer from high D-dimer.

These conditions come with severe stress, anxiety, and trauma.

As patients undergo these situations, the fibrin breakdown products get high, causing the risk of developing blood clots.

Infectious diseases

Sepsis, malaria, and other infectious diseases cause a rise in D-dimer levels. Inflammations cause the formation of blood clots, commonly called thrombi.

At such times, people suffering from these infectious diseases might easily suffer from thrombosis.

History of thrombosis

If your family has a history of thrombosis, it could be the reason you have high D-dimer levels. A history of thrombosis could explain high D-dimer levels when under stress or anxiety.

Poor lifestyle

Did you know that exercising saves you a lot of health-related issues? When we exercise, blood flows freely in the bloodstream.

Poor exercising causes poor blood circulation, and this contributes to high chances of developing blood clots.

If we adopt an exercise lifestyle, we reduce the chances of increasing D-dimer levels.

Rheumatoid arthritis

A woman with arthritis is holding her left elbow in noticeable pain; she might have high levels of d-dimer.

This autoimmune disease causes joints and other body tissues to get inflamed. As the inflammation goes on, the blood vessels might also get inflamed.

The condition also increases the risk of decreasing blood clotting ability. Therefore, rheumatoid arthritis raises the D-dimer levels and increases the risk of thrombosis.

Tumor lysis condition

Have you heard of tumor lysis syndrome? This condition causes tumors that release cytokines and tissue-specific factors leading to fibrin breakdown.

The D-dimer levels increase as the fibrin breakdown (heparinization) products increase.

Smoking

Tobacco contains harmful chemicals. These chemical properties of tobacco cause the weakening of blood clotting abilities, and smoking will cause fibrinogen levels in the blood to go high.

Consequently, this causes the reduction of antithrombin III in the bloodstream. With less antithrombin III, the blood anti-clotting abilities go down.

Therefore, smoking increases the levels of D-dimer levels.

Overthinking

When we overthink, the body enters into severe stress and anxiety. Severe anxiety causes the body to release a pain-blocking hormone called endorphin.

This hormone contributes to the rising D-dimer levels putting you at risk of developing thrombosis.

FAQs

What does anxiety do to your blood?  

Anxiety lowers the anti-clotting properties of the blood due to the production of endorphins which blocks pain from reaching the brain.

This mechanism to help the body cope with the pain caused by stress and anxiety puts us at risk of developing thrombosis.

Can you get a pulmonary embolism for no reason?

Since pulmonary embolism results from a clot traveling to the lungs, it’s rare for it to occur without reason.

Significant causes of thrombosis play a major role in developing pulmonary embolism.

What falsely elevates D-dimer?

If you don’t have a blood clotting condition, you may have elevated D-dimer, called false D-dimer.

These levels prove temporary and go down over time, as seen during pregnancy. Once the cause gets eliminated, the D-dimer levels normalize.

Conclusion

A person suffering from anxiety might go through various hardships of physical and mental issues during this time.

Thrombosis, a blood clot in the deep veins, proves life-threatening. When it happens, the D-dimer levels go high.

The above cases, including anxiety, may contribute to high D-dimer levels. We should stay on the lookout to avoid the preventable and seek medication for those beyond us.   

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Nudrat Naheed
Hi, I am Nudrat, The Heart And Brain author, IR student, and painter. Writing about health fascinates me because it helps me to explore a new healthy routine and share it with others. I write primarily about general health, pregnancy, postpartum, and allergies here. If you don't find me writing, I'm busy painting or reading on global politics.

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