President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). This common condition happens when veins in your arms or legs get damaged. When that happens, the veins can't move blood as well as they should. This makes it harder for blood to travel back to your heart. Instead, the blood collects in your arm or leg veins, which raises pressure in those veins.
To better understand this diagnosis, Mimmie Kwong, assistant professor of vascular surgery at UC Davis Health, answers questions about this widespread condition.
What is chronic venous insufficiency (CVI)?
It is when the veins of the body do not work well. Typically, this happens in the legs or the arms. Veins are what bring blood flow up from the feet or the hands towards the heart. When they don't work well the blood gets stuck. This can cause pain, swelling, throbbing, aching and in the most extreme cases wounds or limb loss.
How common is CVI?
CVI is a common condition. It affects about one in three adults in the United States, with cases ranging from mild to severe. CVI is more common in women and while it's more often seen in older adults, it can affect people of all ages — including children and seniors.
"CVI is a common condition. It affects about one in three people in the United States, with cases ranging from mild to severe."-Mimmie Kwong
What are the signs or symptoms of CVI?
Most commonly we see swelling in the legs. As the swelling gets worse it can cause skin changes like thickening or inflammation and dryness of the skin. With worse disease conditions you can develop unhealing wounds in the legs and if they get worse it could lead to amputations.
Are there any risk factors associated with CVI?
If you have chronic venous insufficiency, your risk of developing a deep vein clot — also called deep vein thrombosis (DVT) — is higher. Genetics can also play a role. If close family members have had CVI or blood clots, your chances of getting them may be greater too.
How is someone diagnosed with CVI?
Doctors usually diagnose chronic venous insufficiency in a primary care office or emergency room. To check for this condition, they often use a test called a duplex ultrasound. This test looks at the veins in your legs to see if they are open and if blood is flowing in the right direction. If the blood is blocked or flowing backward, it may be a sign of CVI.
How is CVI treated?
It depends on which veins are involved. For issues involving deep veins it is much harder to treat and there are few quality treatments available. When the problem veins are closer to the surface of the skin, there are more treatment options available.
The first line treatment for any form of CVI is elevation of the legs, staying active and wearing compression stockings. For those who are still having issues there are a variety of treatment options that include ablation techniques, phlebectomy (surgical removal of the veins) or injections of a chemical called sclerosant. All of these therapies aim to cause the veins to shut down, so they no longer cause the CVI.
If you're experiencing leg swelling, heaviness, varicose veins, or skin changes, don't wait — call 916-734-3800 to schedule an appointment with our vascular team to find out if CVI could be the cause.
