Chronic Venous Insufficiency

The heart pumps oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body and this process is followed by the veins returning the oxygen-poor blood back to where it came from; the heart. This process of sending blood back to the heart is known as venous pump. When a person is in an upright position, the veins in the legs and feet are squeezed by the leg muscles, in order to help send the blood to the heart. This is done in order to overcome the force of gravity. There are valves in the veins which allow the flow of the blood to keep up in the right direction and close when the led muscles relax. This is to prevent the blood to flow back down the legs. Many factors bring about malfunctions in this process and cause the blood not getting pumped back to the heart. This is when the condition of chronic vein insufficiency (CVI) occurs.

What Leads to Chronic Venous Insufficiency?

Sitting or standing for a very long time cause the blood in the leg to pool, increasing the venous blood pressure. The vein wall, because they are flexible, can get stretched due to long hours of inactivity such as sitting or standing. This, overtime, can weaken the walls of the veins and eventually have damage on the vein valves. Apart from these causes, if the blood pressure in the leg veins is higher than normal, it may trigger CVI. Valves that are defective from birth are also one of the causes of this condition, apart from illnesses such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) [deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a condition in which a blood clot forms in one of your deep veins, usually in your leg] and phlebitis [inflammation of a vein (usually in the legs)].

People susceptible to this condition are those who are overweight, have sedentary lifestyle and those who smoke. Pregnancy and a family history of varicose veins (a vein that is permanently dilated; most common in the legs) also triggers the risk of this condition.

Symptoms

Swelling of the ankles and tightness of the calves are the common symptoms indicative of chronic venous insufficiency. The patient may experience pain while walking or shortly after he stops walking. Feeling of the legs being heavy, tired, and restless are other symptoms. As mentioned earlier, this varicose veins in legs. Symptoms such as bulging, blue or twisted veins may also be noticed, apart from skin rash, redness, and sores. Formation of ulcers in the lower part of the legs is among the severe symptoms that can be caused by this condition.

Treatment

Use of compression stockings is the general recommendation of physicians for managing chronic venous insufficiency. Such materials prevent the back flow of excess blood by squeezing the leg veins. Some people may be required to wear such stockings for their remaining life to manage the symptoms of CVI. Doctors also opt for a medical procedure wherein, a chemical is injected into the blood stream. This treatment is known as sclerotherapy. Surgery is also an option, however, it is required in a few cases. It includes ablation (surgical removal of a body part or tissue), vein stripping, bypass surgery, valve repair, and angioplasty (an operation to repair a damaged blood vessel or unblock a coronary artery) or stenting of a vein.

The condition of chronic venous insufficiency is diagnosed by knowing the medical history of the patient and of course, the symptoms he suffers from. The blood pressure in the legs would be examined and so would be the varicose veins. Confirmation of the condition is done through a test known as venogram (an X-ray of a vein injected with a radiopaque contrast medium) or a duplex ultrasound test.