Venous Insufficiency

Venous insufficiency is a condition that occurs when the valves in the veins are defective, making it difficult for blood to flow back to the heart. This can be a chronic condition and can cause several different side effects.

To understand what venous insufficiency is, it is important to first know how blood circulation works. In the legs, there are veins, which are blood vessels in which blood flows back to the heart to be oxygenated. The valves in the veins help to regulate blood flow. The venous valves can be defective or worn, partly due to aging or genetics, and this causes blood to accumulate in the veins below the venous valves, creating higher pressure there. Venous insufficiency means that blood has difficulty flowing back to the heart, and in chronic venous insufficiency, this is a condition that persists.

Symptoms of Venous Insufficiency  

Venous insufficiency can occur in both the superficial and deep veins. Not everyone with chronic venous insufficiency in the legs is bothered by it. The most common symptoms include:

• Leg pain - legs may feel tired and tight
• Swelling in the legs or ankles
• A feeling of heavy and restless legs
• Night-time leg cramps

These symptoms often worsen when standing or walking for a prolonged period.

If you suffer from chronic venous insufficiency and have done so for a long time, symptoms may worsen. The problems will not go away if you do nothing about them, so the earlier you address the issue, the greater the chance of preventing further complications. The most serious complications include:

• Eczema
• Pigmentation
• Venous ulcers
• Thrombophlebitis

In severe cases of venous insufficiency, you may experience eczema and pigmentation around the lower leg, especially around the ankles. In the worst case, this can develop into venous ulcers which can be very difficult to heal and can lead to inflammation. Therefore, it is important to keep an eye on if the leg is often swollen, as this can increase the risk of eczema and ulcers.

There are several causes of venous insufficiency. It often occurs primarily on varicose veins or venous inflammation in the legs and is also known as thrombophlebitis. In both cases, blood circulation worsens, which causes blood to accumulate, in turn causing varicose veins or thrombophlebitis.

Diagnosis of Venous Insufficiency  

To diagnose venous insufficiency, a study must be conducted to show the speed and direction of blood flow. This can be done through a preliminary examination at UK Vein Care, where a specialist can examine the legs using so-called duplex ultrasound. During this ultrasound examination, the specialist doctor applies gel to the skin, after which an instrument, called a "transducer," is moved over the skin. Simultaneously, an image is displayed on a screen where the doctor can get an insight into the blood flow in the veins and see all varicose veins. A preliminary examination takes about thirty minutes to perform and no pain will occur in connection with the examination.

Who Gets Venous Insufficiency?  

Various factors influence the risk of developing venous insufficiency:

• Overweight
• Smoking
• Inactivity
• Pregnancy
• Family history
• If you have previously had an injury, undergone surgery, or similar on your legs

Several of these factors can be influenced by actively choosing not to smoke and by choosing an active and healthy lifestyle. With this in mind, it is therefore possible to make efforts to minimize the risk of venous insufficiency.

Side Effects of Venous Insufficiency  

As described, venous insufficiency is a condition where blood has difficulty flowing back to the heart to be oxygenated. When this condition occurs, various side effects can arise due to poor blood circulation in the legs:

Varicose Veins: Varicose veins occur when venous valves are defective so that blood circulation is affected in a way that causes blood to accumulate in pools. Therefore, varicose veins are a common side effect of venous insufficiency.

Venous Leg Ulcers: When suffering from venous insufficiency, blood circulation in the legs is insufficient, which affects the skin on the lower leg, especially around the ankles. The skin may become rougher, change color, eczema may occur, and in the worst case, ulcers appear. These ulcers can be as large as a palm, the ulcer base may be yellow or reddish, and the ulcer can be very difficult to heal.

Thrombophlebitis: Thrombophlebitis is small blood clots in superficial veins. Thrombophlebitis is an inflammatory condition in the veins, which causes the vein to swell, the blood vessel becomes uneven, and therefore blood clots more easily, and a blood clot forms.

Deep Vein Thrombosis: A blood clot that occurs in a deep vein is called deep vein thrombosis, and this condition is serious because the blood clot can migrate and settle in the lungs. Therefore, deep vein thrombosis is a serious side effect of venous insufficiency.

Treatment of Venous Insufficiency  

It is not possible to treat venous insufficiency, but you can improve the condition and thereby reduce the symptoms. To find the right treatment to improve the condition, various factors are considered:

• Specific symptoms
• The level of symptoms
• Age and overall health
• The patient's medical history
• Whether the condition is expected to worsen

There are various ways to improve the condition or minimize the risk of further deterioration of venous insufficiency.

Compression Stockings: Compression stockings can be used as symptom relief for venous insufficiency. A compression stocking increases the pressure on the veins, which improves blood circulation and reduces swelling.

Improving Blood Circulation: You can take certain precautions when it comes to improving blood circulation.

• Keep legs elevated as often as possible
• Do not sit with crossed legs
• Maintain a healthy and active lifestyle

Medication: If venous insufficiency has caused thrombophlebitis or inflammation in a leg ulcer, medication may be administered.

Venous Insufficiency and Varicose Veins  

As previously described, varicose veins often occur together with venous insufficiency. Since a treatment of varicose veins improves blood circulation, the treatment for varicose veins will also reduce the symptoms from venous insufficiency. There are several different treatment methods for removing varicose veins:

Laser Treatment: A catheter is inserted into the vein with varicose veins, after which a specialist inserts the laser used to seal the veins with varicose veins, which in turn causes the blood to find other paths and then the varicose veins disappear.

Foam Treatment: A drug that seals the vein is injected which causes the blood to find other paths and then the varicose veins disappear.

Phlebectomy: Visible varicose veins can cause some psychological suffering. To remove large and visible varicose veins, phlebectomy is used. A very small incision is made in the skin after which a piece of the vein with varicose veins is pulled out. Phlebectomy treatment is often used together with foam or laser treatment.

Summary  

Venous insufficiency is a condition with poor blood circulation caused by worn or defective venous valves. There are various symptoms of venous insufficiency, including heavy and tired legs, and, in more severe conditions, venous leg ulcers and varicose veins.

To be able to diagnose venous insufficiency, a specialist doctor must perform an ultrasound examination to determine the blood circulation and the speed of blood flow in the veins. This study is performed with duplex ultrasound. It is possible to conduct the preliminary examination at UK Vein Care.

Venous insufficiency can affect anyone, but there are risk factors that one can influence oneself to avoid suffering from venous insufficiency, or alleviate the symptoms if you have already got venous insufficiency.

If you have venous insufficiency, side effects occur in various degrees of severity. A common side effect is varicose veins. Varicose veins occur as a result of defects in the valves that regulate blood flow in the veins. Defects in the venous valves, in combination with defects in blood circulation, cause blood to accumulate in pools under the venous valves, and it is these pools that grow and turn into varicose veins. In more serious cases, venous insufficiency can lead to deep vein thrombosis, which is a blood clot in a deep vein, and this blood clot can migrate and end up in the lungs.

It is not possible to treat venous insufficiency, but one can improve the condition and minimize the risk of deterioration. This can be done through various measures to improve blood circulation. Such measures include using compression stockings and treating varicose veins.

‍