Pulmonary embolism
(PE) is a blockage of an in the lungs by a substance that has moved from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream (embolism). Symptoms of a PE may include shortness of breath, chest pain particularly upon breathing in, and coughing up blood. Symptoms of a blood clot in the leg may also be present, such as a red, warm, swollen, and painful leg. Signs of a PE include low blood oxygen levels, rapid breathing, rapid heart rate, and sometimes a mild fever. Severe cases can lead to passing out, abnormally low blood pressure, obstructive , and sudden death.
Underlined words are explained — tap any of them.
Symptoms — what it feels like
- ·Shortness of breath, chest pain, coughing up blood
How it's found
- ·Based on symptoms, D-dimer, CT , lung /perfusion scan
Treatment
- · (heparin, , DOACs), ,
Complications
- ·Passing out, abnormally low blood pressure, sudden death; (long-term complication)
The sections below are general education drawn from public guidelines (NHS, Mayo, CPIC, WHO, ICMR). They are not individually reviewed by a clinician and are not medical advice — always talk to a doctor about your own health.
Genes that change how certain drugs work — and that differ in South Asians. This is education, not a dosing tool; genotype-guided prescribing is a clinician decision.
is famously hard to dose - too little and form, too much and you bleed. Two genes largely decide how much each person needs: one controls how fast you break the drug down, the other how strongly it works. Knowing them helps a doctor get closer to the right dose sooner.
South Asian signal: CYP2C9 and VKORC1 variants together explain up to ~18% and ~30% of warfarin-dose variance respectively in Europeans, but explain proportionally less in Asian ancestry, so ancestry-specific algorithms matter. CYP2C9 and VKORC1 variant frequencies differ across Indian sub-populations; CPIC therefore provides continental-ancestry-specific dosing guidance rather than a single formula (CPIC 2017 update).
Prescriber note: Where CYP2C9/VKORC1 genotype is available, use an ancestry-appropriate validated algorithm (e.g. the CPIC-endorsed approach) for the initial dose and then titrate to INR; do not apply European-derived dose predictions unmodified to South Asian patients. CPIC recommends using a validated pharmacogenetic dosing algorithm that incorporates CYP2C9 and VKORC1 (and, for some ancestries, CYP4F2 and rs12777823) to estimate a starting warfarin dose targeting INR 2-3, rather than a fixed empirical dose, when genotype is available.
Not a dosing tool. Genotype-guided prescribing is a clinician decision; genotyping access in India is limited.