Jalen Hurts to miss Eagles' Sunday matchup against Panthers due to blood clot: What to know

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will sit out Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers due to a blood clot.

In a statement shared on the team's official Instagram page on Thursday, the team said that Hurts will be out for Sunday's game as the "appropriate course of treatment" is determined and that "his health and safety are our highest priority."

The statement said that Hurts requested treatment for his calf on Oct. 8 after practice.

"He informed the medical staff that he had been cleated during the Rams game on Oct 4th," the statement continued. "This was his first treatment session for the calf injury following the game, after having practiced in full both Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, Jalen received treatment, practiced in full, and was added to the practice report."

The statement went on by saying that after the Eagles flight to London for its game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, an ultrasound was performed on Saturday out of an "abundance of caution."

"The ultrasound revealed a superficial blood clot," the statement said. "Our medical staff and doctors in London reviewed the results and concluded that activity and mobility were important and that Jalen could safely play. Doctors recommended a follow-up ultrasound within 72 hours of the game and the return flight to Philadelphia."

After the team's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, in which the Eagles lost 19-17, Hurts received treatment on Monday and Tuesday and also practiced in full on Wednesday, according to the statement.

Hurts received a follow-up ultrasound on Wednesday, which revealed a movement in the small blood clot, the statement said.

A blood clot can either be classified as superficial or deep and typically involve the arms and legs, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Anyone can develop a superficial blood clot, which involve the veins closest to the skin surface, but known risk factors include prior injury or trauma to the affected area, prolonged travel or immobility, recent surgery or a prior IV placed into the vein, according to JAMA.

Other risk factors include use of certain oral contraceptive pills, history of cancer, known history of clotting disorders.

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Those who have blood clots typically first develop swelling, pain or redness along the affected area and an ultrasound is used to diagnose it and search for deeper blood clots, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A small superficial blood clot can be treated with topical painkillers or warm compresses or compression stockings, according to JAMA. If they're extensive, patients may require blood thinning medication for a few months or longer depending on their risk factors.

If left untreated, a superficial blood clot could become a deep blood clot, which increases the risk of blood clots traveling to the right side of the heart and landing in the lungs, causing pulmonary embolism, which can lead to death, shortness of breath, chest pain or passing out, according to the CDC.

Dr. Alina Mitina, an emergency medicine physician at Hackensack University Medical Center, weighed in on Hurts' condition, saying in a statement, "Although we can't definitively say the flight to London worsened his condition, combining long-distance air travel with a recent leg injury creates a high-risk environment for a clot to progress."

While Hurts sits out Sunday's game, backup quarterback Tanner McKee is expected to start in his place.

The news about Hurts' injury comes more than a week after Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson announced that he is retiring from the NFL to focus on his mental health.