Beloved actress Catherine O’Hara died on January 30 at the age of 71 after she was rushed to hospital in serious condition breathing problems. According to the announcement, the cause of her death was pulmonary embolism, i.e. blockage of a blood vessel in the lungs by a blood clot. One of the main symptoms of this condition is the shortness of breath that Catherine experienced. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a 911 call from her home in Brentwood at 4:48 a.m. She tragically died a few hours later in the hospital, the newspaper reports.
Besides blood clot in the lungs was also listed as a long-term cause of death in the death certificate rectal cancer. Actress known from the series Schitt’s Creek and the movie Home Alone she was undergoing treatment from March 2025. She has never spoken publicly about her illness, but in the months before her death there were subtle signs that she was not feeling well, such as not attending this year’s Golden Globes despite being nominated for her role in The Studio. At the Emmy Awards in September, she appeared to have lost a lot of weight.
The risk of pulmonary embolism is higher in humanswho already in the past overcome blood clotsare older than 60 years, smoke or suffer from diseases like cancer, diabetes whether heart problems. An increased risk is also pregnancy, overweight or use hormonal contraception.
Blood clots in the arteries that carry blood away from the heart can cause a heart attack or stroke. However, clots in the veins, which often form in the leg, can break loose and travel to the lungs. When a clot lodges in the lungs, pressure on the heart can increase, according to the American Heart Association. Without prompt treatment, damage to the heart and lungs can lead to death.
Symptoms of a pulmonary embolism can develop gradually over days or weeks and gradually worsen, but in some people they appear suddenly, within minutes or seconds. Between warning signs belongs sudden shortness of breath, wheezing or rapid breathing, sharp pain in the chest, shoulder, back, neck or jawwhich worsens with inhalation, coughing up bloody mucus, pale or bluish skin, fast pulse, and excessive sweating. Some people may feel anxiety, dizziness or even losing consciousness.
They often do he also develops pain, redness and swelling of one leg, usually the calf. These are symptoms of deep vein thrombosis, when a blood clot forms in the leg. It can break loose, move to the lungs and cause a pulmonary embolism. If these symptoms occur, it is necessary to seek medical help immediately.
If a pulmonary embolism is detected and treated early, the patient can make a full recovery. Blood thinners are given in the hospital to prevent existing clots from getting bigger and new ones from forming. In life-threatening cases, an operation may be necessary to remove the clot. In England and Wales, pulmonary embolism was the leading cause of death for 2,638 people in 2021. The disease is not very common, it is diagnosed annually in approximately 99 out of 100,000 people.
