Let's learn about venous diseases and their treatments in a simple way.

Have you ever noticed that when you stand for a long time or as you get older, your legs become blue and appear knotted? Some people have swollen, tingly, and heavy legs. These are what we simply call venous disease. Don't be afraid when you hear this name. This is a very common condition. Today, we will talk about this and its treatment in a very simple way that you can understand.

What is Venous Disease?

Okay, first let's see what this is. We have two types of blood vessels in our body. One is the arteries, which carry clean blood from the heart throughout the body. The other is the veins, which carry dirty blood back to the heart.

Think of these veins as one-way routes . These routes have little doors that stop the blood from flowing backwards. We call them valves. These doors open when the blood goes up, and then they close again to stop the blood from flowing backwards.

Now, venous disease is when that process goes wrong. Especially in a condition called venous insufficiency, those little doors I mentioned, the valves, don't work properly. When they don't close properly, the blood starts to flow backwards instead of upwards, or it stagnates. That's when problems arise.

Common types of venous diseases

When it comes to venous disease, there is not just one type, but several conditions under it.

• Blood clots: The formation of a blood clot inside a vein.
• Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI): A condition in which the valves in the veins of the legs become weak and blood does not flow properly back to the heart.
• Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT): A blood clot that forms in a large, deep vein inside the body. This is a slightly dangerous condition.
• Pulmonary Embolism: A blood clot, similar to DVT, that breaks loose from a vein and lodges in a vein in the lungs. This is an emergency.
• Superficial thrombophlebitis: Inflammation of a vein under the skin with a blood clot.
• Varicose and spider veins: Veins that appear swollen, distended, and blue/purple, visible through the skin.

What kind of doctors treat these kinds of diseases?

If you have a problem like this, you will be treated by a doctor who has expertise in this area. There are mainly two types of specialists.

1. Vascular medicine physician: These doctors diagnose and prescribe medications for vein diseases. They can also perform minimally invasive procedures.

2. Vascular surgeon: These doctors also diagnose and treat diseases. However, they also have special training to perform surgery if necessary.

When you first see your family doctor (GP), he or she will assess your condition and refer you to a specialist like this if necessary.

What are the non-surgical treatments?

Not all varicose veins require surgery. In many cases, they can be managed with simple, nonsurgical treatments. Sometimes these are used in conjunction with other treatments.

• Anticoagulation: These are also called blood thinners. These medications prevent blood clots from forming and stop existing clots from getting bigger. These are very important for conditions like DVT.
• Compression stockings: These are not like regular socks. These socks apply pressure to the legs. It's like someone is squeezing them. This pressure helps the blood in the legs move up, toward the heart, instead of stagnating.
• Lifestyle changes: Even small changes to your daily habits can make a big difference.
• Doing some exercise, like walking .
• When sitting, keep your legs up like a chair .
• Controlling body weight .
• Sclerotherapy: This is a treatment specifically for varicose veins. A special solution is injected into the problem vein. This solution causes the vein to become swollen, inflamed, and inactive. The blood flow through that vein stops and the blood starts flowing through healthy veins. Over time, the body absorbs the inactive vein.

Treatment using a catheter

A catheter is a very thin, flexible tube . In this treatment, the doctor makes a very small incision in the skin and inserts this thin tube into the vein. The advantage of these methods is that there is no large incision, so the healing time is shorter and the risk of complications is lower.

Treatment through surgery

In some cases, surgery is necessary.

When is surgery necessary?

• If other simple treatments have not yielded successful results.
• If your venous disease is interfering with your daily activities to the point where you can't do anything.
• If you are at high risk of developing a dangerous condition such as DVT or pulmonary embolism.

Main types of surgeries

• Ligation and stripping: Varicose veins are surgically removed by tying off the vein and removing it completely.
• SEPS surgery (Subfascial Endoscopic Perforator Surgery): This is a slightly more complicated surgery. It is performed on people who have venous ulcers in their legs that do not heal due to damaged veins. In this procedure, the damaged veins are clipped and blood flow is redirected to healthy veins.
• Bypass surgery: It's like building a bypass to bypass a blockage in a vein. If there's a blockage in a vein that's preventing blood from flowing, your doctor will create a new route for blood to flow around the blockage. This can be done using a section of your own vein or an artificial tube.

Can these diseases be completely cured?

This is a question that many people ask. In some cases, yes. For example, if you have a varicose vein, removing that vein will completely resolve the problem. However, it will not prevent a new varicose vein from forming in another location.

For example, a vena cava filter stops blood clots from traveling to the lungs, but it doesn't remove existing clots. Blood thinners stop new clots from forming, but they don't dissolve existing ones. So the goal of treatment will vary depending on your condition.

What are the benefits and risks of treatment?

As with any medical treatment, these treatments have benefits as well as some risks.

The main benefit is protection from life-threatening complications. It also provides relief from symptoms that can interfere with daily life, such as:

• Stomach or back pain
• Swollen veins
• Heaviness and aching in the legs
• Itching or non-healing sores
• Swelling

Speaking of risks, blood thinners can sometimes cause unwanted bleeding. There is a small chance of infection from surgeries and other procedures.

Recovery time and when to see a doctor

After treatment using a catheter, you can usually return to normal activities within a few days. However, if you have had major surgery, it may take two weeks or more to fully recover.

If you experience any of the following symptoms after treatment or surgery, notify your doctor immediately.

If you experience any of these symptoms, don't ignore them. They could be a sign of an infection or other problem.

Venous Disease, Varicose veins, DVT, Blood clots, Vein treatment