What causes a pulmonary embolism?

Pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis are two terms readers often meet together and then treat as one. This page takes only the first term and asks where it comes from.

The cause, as the source puts it

medlineplus.gov states: "The cause is usually a blood clot that breaks loose and travels through the bloodstream to the lungs." The word usually matters in that sentence, because it describes the common pattern and does not claim every case follows it.

Where the look-alike term fits

Deep vein thrombosis is the name that most often sits beside pulmonary embolism in vascular reading, yet the two are separate terms. This page leaves the detail on deep vein thrombosis to those who publish it, such as this guide to DVT symptoms and treatment from my.clevelandclinic.org. For a broader frame, the same publisher offers an overview of venous disease.

What to do with this answer

If you are in Tinley Park or Frankfort and a clot-related term has been used about you, ask your own provider which term applies. NHLBI, NIH publishes a page on venous thromboembolism treatment that you can read before that conversation.

The follow-up question the sources raise is who faces a higher risk of pulmonary embolism, which is a different question from its cause.