Blood clots a potential symptom of COVID-19, even without other ailments

In the beginning, Marcus Tomoff’s symptoms made it easy to determine he had contracted COVID-19. Then, he developed a more serious complication.

“They’ve already said I have microclots in my legs and in my lungs,” Tomoff explained. “My right side went fully numb. Almost like a pins and needles kind of feeling.”

Multiple studies support the diagnosis, that blood clots can form as a result of COVID-19.

Tomoff ultimately had to start taking blood thinners at the age of 28 – at least for now.

But the virus isn’t always predictable.

In Miami, a 67-year-old man went to the emergency room with only one complaint of pain in his arm and doctors didn’t suspect the coronavirus.

Dr. Tony Shao is an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

He said the man’s arm “was pale in color, it was cold, he wasn’t able to move it, he had numbness, tingling.”

But with no risk factors for blood clots, doctors had him tested and it came back positive for COVID-19.

Further testing found the patient’s lungs were in bad shape, despite having only mild breathing issues. He ultimately spent several weeks on a ventilator.

“He did lose a couple of fingers, those fingers were to a point of no return,” Shao said, “A tough recovery for him, but he’s alive and well.”

Shao published a study and wants other health care providers to know if a patient has blood clots and no other risk factors, they should also consider COVID-19.

His advice, “You have to think about – is this patient hypercoagulable because of a COVID-19 infection?” because the faster we catch it the better the outcomes, and the slower the spread.