claim: Chest pain is one symptom of pulmonary embolism.
evidence: Pulmonary embolism -LRB- PE -RRB- is a blockage of an artery in the lungs by a substance that has traveled from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream -LRB- embolism -RRB- .. artery in the lungs. pulmonary artery. embolism. embolism. Symptoms of a PE may include shortness of breath , chest pain particularly upon breathing in , and coughing up blood .. chest pain. chest pain. shortness of breath. dyspnea. Symptoms of a blood clot in the leg may also be present such as a red , warm , swollen , and painful leg .. blood clot in the leg. deep vein thrombosis. blood clot. blood clot. Signs of a PE include low blood oxygen levels , rapid breathing , rapid heart rate , and sometimes a mild fever .. oxygen levels. oxygen saturation. rapid breathing. tachypnea. rapid heart rate. tachycardia. fever. fever. Severe cases can lead to passing out , abnormally low blood pressure , and sudden death .. abnormally low blood pressure. shock ( circulatory ). sudden death. cardiac arrest. passing out. Syncope ( medicine ). PE usually results from a blood clot in the leg that travels to the lung .. blood clot in the leg. deep vein thrombosis. blood clot. blood clot. The risk of blood clots is increased by cancer , prolonged bed rest , smoking , stroke , certain genetic conditions , estrogen-based medication , pregnancy , obesity , and after some types of surgery .. bed rest. bed rest. smoking. smoking. stroke. stroke. genetic. genetics. estrogen-based medication. hormone replacement therapy. pregnancy. pregnancy. obesity. obesity. cancer. cancer. A small proportion of cases are due to the embolization of air , fat , or amniotic fluid .. air. air embolism. fat. fat embolism. amniotic fluid. amniotic fluid embolism. Diagnosis is based on signs and symptoms in combination with test results .. If the risk is low a blood test known as a D-dimer will rule out the condition .. D-dimer. D-dimer. Otherwise a CT pulmonary angiography , lung ventilation / perfusion scan , or ultrasound of the legs may confirm the diagnosis .. CT pulmonary angiography. CT pulmonary angiography. lung ventilation / perfusion scan. lung ventilation / perfusion scan. ultrasound. ultrasound. Together deep vein thrombosis and PE are known as venous thromboembolism -LRB- VTE -RRB- .. deep vein thrombosis. deep vein thrombosis. venous thromboembolism. venous thromboembolism. Efforts to prevent PE include beginning to move as soon as possible after surgery , lower leg exercises during periods of sitting , and the use of blood thinners after some types of surgery .. blood thinners. anticoagulant. Treatment is typically with blood thinners such as heparin or warfarin .. heparin. heparin. warfarin. warfarin. blood thinners. anticoagulant. Often these are recommended for six months or longer .. Severe cases may require thrombolysis using medication such as tissue plasminogen activator -LRB- tPA -RRB- , or may require surgery such as a pulmonary thrombectomy .. thrombolysis. thrombolysis. tissue plasminogen activator. tissue plasminogen activator. pulmonary thrombectomy. pulmonary thrombectomy. If blood thinners are not appropriate , a vena cava filter may be used .. blood thinners. anticoagulant. vena cava filter. vena cava filter. Pulmonary emboli affect about 430,000 people each year in Europe .. In the United States between 300,000 and 600,000 cases occur each year , which results in between 50,000 and 200,000 deaths .. Rates are similar in males and females .. They become more common as people get older .