NeNe Leakes Diagnosed with Blood Clots in Her Lung - Find Out Why!

NeNe Leakes, star of Real Housewives of Atlanta, recently made a trip to the hospital and discovered she had blood clots in her lung. She complained of not feeling well and being short of breath. What she didn't know at the time was that this was one of the symptoms of a potentially serious condition called pulmonary embolism that can be deadly.

What is pulmonary embolism?

Blood clots can form in the lungs that are very small and pose no danger. However, when the blood clots become larger, they can block the blood flow in the main artery leading to the lungs, causing pulmonary embolism. This blockage can be deadly.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms can range from mild to sudden and severe. Than can include:

• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Cough with pink-colored mucus

In more severe cases, the symptoms can include rapid heart rate, sweating, and feeling lightheaded.

What causes blood clots in the lungs?

Blood clots can form for a number of reasons that include inactivity, post-surgery, smoking, birth control pills, pregnancy and childbirth, and diseases like cancer, stroke and heart failure. These blood clots most often travel from deep in the leg veins to the lungs. This is a condition called deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which affects more than 300,000 people each year.

Because the symptoms often resemble a heart attack or pneumonia, it is best to go directly to the hospital if any of these symptoms occur. People who are at greater risk for blood clots are people who are overweight and over the age of 70. Don't take a chance. If you have symptoms that could be blood clots or pulmonary embolism, do what NeNe did and go directly to the hospital. As NeNe stated, "I'm blessed to be alive."