President Trump’s Chronic Venous Insufficiency Diagnosis Common for Older Americans

President Donald Trump was recently diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, bringing attention to a condition that is common for older Americans. While unpleasant, it is not life-threatening.

What Is Chronic Venous Insufficiency?

If you have chronic venous insufficiency, it means some of the blood that’s supposed to flow up your legs, toward your heart, instead flows down. It gathers around the ankles, causing discomfort, swelling and/or discoloration.

Essentially, the veins in your legs are one-way highways. Large internal veins, thinner veins closer to your skin, and the “perforating” veins that connect the two work together to transport your blood upward. If you have chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), the valves inside your veins are malfunctioning. As a result, some of the cars on that vein highway start to go in the other direction — down your legs, where blood will pool and be uncomfortable, instead of up.

Here are the most common symptoms:

• Legs will feel heavy and tired
• Legs will swell, especially around the ankles
• Tingly feeling in the legs
• Pain while you walk but not when you stop
• Skin turns reddish brown, due to little blood vessels called capillaries bursting under the skin
• Open sores, aka ulcers, that are slow to heal; these can get infected, which is dangerous
• Night cramping
• Leathery leg skin
• Varicose veins, which are veins that swell up, bulge and look blue, and can cause discomfort

Causes of Chronic Venous Insufficiency

Chronic venous insufficiency is extremely common, affecting millions of people around the world. Women get it more than men, starting in pregnancy. It rarely causes harm. However, if left untreated, you can develop open sores referred to as ulcers. Those can get infected, and in turn can lead to cellulitis, which is dangerous.

CVI is especially common among seniors, starting at age 55, so age itself is a big risk factor. It’s hereditary, meaning it runs in families. If you’ve had an accident of some sort, that trauma might eventually lead you to develop this issue.

Being overweight increases your chances of developing CVI, and so does living a sedentary lifestyle, smoking regularly, and sitting or standing for long periods of time. A blood clot in your veins called deep vein thrombosis, or scarring left from that condition, can lead to  CVI, too.

All told, 10 percent to 35 percent of American adults have CVI, as do 40 percent of all women in the U.S. Far fewer develop the ulcers.

How To Manage Chronic Venous Insufficiency

To diagnose CVI, your doctor will examine your legs for swelling and discoloration, and might also send you for an ultrasound for more information.

No treatment will cure your CVI, but these might stop it from getting worse or at least make you more comfortable:

• Compression therapy. Chances are you’ll be told to wear compression socks for part of the day. They are ultra-tight leggings that boost the blood flow within your legs. You might even receive medical-grade stockings that are snuggest at the bottoms of your legs, or inflatable boots that will compress your legs intermittently. They’re known as intermittent pneumatic compression sleeves, cuffs or devices.
• Leg elevation. Rest with your legs higher than your heart for up to half an hour at a time.
• Walking. Simply walking more than usual will kick-start some blood flow in your legs.
• Weight loss. A high body mass index can make CVI worse, so you might be instructed to diet, exercise or take other weight-loss measures.
• Medications. You might be given blood thinners to keep clots from forming, or antibiotics if you’re at risk of infection from a sore.
• Radiofrequency ablation. This outpatient procedure involves heating up your veins, which helps the blood flow better and might send blood in the correct direction.
• Sclerotherapy. Your doctor might inject a foam or liquid solution into your veins as an outpatient procedure. Your varicose veins might disappear.

Minimally invasive, office-based procedures are common and very helpful in treating symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency. 

While anyone who has chronic venous insufficiency might have related or unrelated serious medical issues, CVI alone is unpleasant but not a huge deal. If you notice any symptoms, see a doctor quickly to get a proper diagnosis, followed by appropriate treatment.