Less common sites include the kidneys, intestines, and eyes. Risk factors
Risk factors for thromboembolism, the major cause of arterial embolism, include disturbed blood flow (such as in atrial fibrillation and mitral stenosis), injury or damage to an artery wall, and hypercoagulability (such as increased platelet count). Mitral stenosis poses a high risk of forming emboli which may travel to the brain and cause stroke. Endocarditis increases the risk for thromboembolism, by a mixture of the factors above. Atherosclerosis in the aorta and other large blood vessels is a common risk factor, both for thromboembolism and cholesterol embolism. The legs and feet are major impact sites for these types. Thus, risk factors for atherosclerosis are risk factors for arterial embolisation as well:

advanced age
cigarette smoking
hypertension (high blood pressure)
obesity
hyperlipidemia, e.g. hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, elevated lipoprotein (a) or apolipoprotein B, or decreased levels of HDL cholesterol)
diabetes mellitus
Sedentary lifestyle
stressOther important risk factors for arterial embolism include:

recent surgery (both for thromboembolism and air embolism)
previous stroke or cardiovascular disease
a history of long-term intravenous therapy (for air embolism)
Bone fracture (for fat embolism)A septal defect of the heart makes it possible for paradoxical embolization, which happens when a clot in a vein enters the right side of the heart and passes through a hole into the left side. The clot can then move to an artery and cause arterial embolisation. Pathophysiology
An arterial embolism is caused by one or more emboli getting stuck in an artery and blocking blood flow, causing ischemia, possibly resulting in infarction with tissue death (necrosis).
Cultural explorations
During the Renaissance, Edmund Spenser in The Faerie Queene endorsed sadness as a marker of spiritual commitment.In The Lord of the Rings, sadness is distinguished from unhappiness, to exemplify J. R. R. Tolkiens preference for a sad, but settled determination, as opposed to what he saw as the shallower temptations of either despair or hope.Julia Kristeva considered that "a diversification of moods, variety in sadness, refinement in sorrow or mourning are the imprint of a humanity that is surely not triumphant but subtle, ready to fight and creative". See also
Joie de vivre
Melancholia
Mood (psychology)

References


== Further reading ==