Many of my patient’s come and see me about Venous Insufficiency and wonder why should they worry about them? Why should I worry about “Leaky Veins”? Why not just tough it out and “deal” with the problem as it doesn’t hurt that much.
They have discomfort and swelling with prominent varicose veins but they don’t know that repairing the “leaky veins” will benefit them.
One interesting point that many people don’t always associate with “Leaky Veins” are the predisposition for development of DVTs or Deep Vein Thrombosis.
When blood doesn’t move or even just has turbulent movement, it is prone to clot. Ask any patient with heart arrhythmias, many require blood thinners to help prevent a stroke. Why? Because as the blood slows down as it’s moving through the heart, it can form a clot, and then this clot can travel directly to the brain and cause a stroke. This is a common concern for patient’s that suffer from AFib (atrial fibrillation).
Why then can the same problem (or worse, given the lack of blood movement) not happen in the leg when people suffer from “Leaky Veins”?
We see people for leg pain and they are found to have an SVT (Superficial Venous Thrombosis) with their “Leaky Veins” This simply is a DVT but in a superficial vessel, but what is a superficial vessel if not a vessel with direct communication with a deep vessel. As any provider and they will tell you, clots when they form have a tendency to “walk” or propagate proximally. Then when they enter the deep system, no longer are they an SVT but now a DVT and we have just upped the Ante when talking about complications.
Complications of a DVT can be limited to local disease from obstruction but its worst presentation is when it breaks free and travels to the lung, now labeled a PE (Pulmonary Embolus). When this occurs this is a life threatening emergency as this problem is age, sex, ethnicity indiscriminate and with a large enough PE even people in their prime have succumbed to the obstruction that occurs in the lungs.
Symptoms of a DVT can be swelling, pain, redness, difficulty ambulating and often all come on rapidly. Symptoms of a PE can be an elevated heart rate, difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness, chest pain, coughing or sweating.
So remember when you’re told you have a problem in one part of your body, no matter how small or insignificant, that the ramifications or reach that it may have MAY be significant. This especially applies to “Leaky Veins” & DVTs.
Remember to wear your compression stockings with any airline travel, car travel over 60 minutes or prolonged immobilization to prevent DVT occurrence. Add to this adequate hydration (blood is like oil keep it thin, baby aspirin (if you can take it), and walk if you can as these will help prevent the lurking danger of a DVT.
