Chronic Venous Insufficiency
Chronic venous insufficiency is seen as painful, swollen, achy legs and veins often with frequent night cramps. Sometimes varicose veins or ulcers are seen too. Chronic means insufficiency occurs when one’s leg veins don’t allow blood to flow back to the heart. In a healthy vein, a series of valves in the veins help blood return to the heart. But as we age the valves don’t work as well, causing blood to flow backwards and fluid to collect in the legs.
Signs or Symptoms
Approximately 60% of adults in the United States will develop venous insufficiency. Symptoms include:
Swelling
Pain
Skin changes such as rash or discoloration
Leg ulceration
Cramping/Restless Leg Syndrome
Varicose veins
Itchy for dryness on your legs
Although not life-threatening, venous disease can significantly impact one’s quality-of-life. Insurances do cover treatment for vein disease when symptoms such as swelling or aching caused it to be considered medically necessary.
Possible Causes
The most common cause of venous insufficiency is the reflux of the valves in the superficial veins. There are both superficial and deep veins in our legs. When the valves of the superficial veins system our damage, blood has difficulty returning to the heart. This results in pooling of blood in the legs and the development of symptoms such as swelling and pain.
Some causes of venous disease include:
High blood pressure
History of sitting or standing for long periods of time in careers
Lack of exercise
Smoking
A history of a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or superficial vein thrombosis (SVT)
Obesity
History of pregnancy
Previous to injury or legs or surgery
The majority of one’s blood, approximately 95%, should return to the heart via the deep venous system. When superficial veins are disease or damage, this becomes unbalanced. Simple procedures available at Golden Coast Dermatology, Skin Cancer, and Vein Center can help correct this imbalance by treating diseased veins and returning blood flow to a healthy vein.
Other Information
Venous disease is diagnosed by having symptoms, a physical exam and a painless ultrasound of leg veins. When present, an ultrasound can identify and quantify the extent of venous disease present in your legs. Once an accurate diagnosis is made, conservative measures such as compression socks and exercise are begun.
If conservative measures don’t work, it may be time to consider intervention such as using a laser to close diseased veins, called endovenous laser ablation. By closing damaged veins, blood flow returns to healthy, deeper veins, and circulation is improved. Modern techniques are non-scarring, highly effective, require no hospital stays, and are covered by insurance plans.