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The extra red blood cells make your blood thicker than normal. As a result, blood clots can form more easily. These clots can block blood flow through your arteries and veins, which can cause a heart attack or stroke. Thicker blood also doesn't flow as quickly to your body as normal blood.
Many factors can lead to excessive blood clotting, leading to limited or blocked blood flow. Blood clots can travel to the arteries or veins in the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs and limbs, which in turn can cause heart attack, stroke, damage to the bodyâs organs or even death. The genetic, or inherited, source of excessive blood clotting is less common and is usually due to genetic defects.