President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a common problem in older adults that happens when veins in the legs struggle to pump blood back to the heart.
The president’s physician, Sean Barbabella, DO, said in a memo released by the White House that Trump, 79, underwent a comprehensive examination that revealed the condition after experiencing mild swelling in his lower legs.
Chronic venous insufficiency is “benign” and common in people over 70, according to the memo.
This evaluation found no evidence of artery disease or deep vein thrombosis (DVT) according to the memo. DVT is a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when a blood clot forms in a deep vein in the legs or arms.
There was also no evidence of abnormalities in the structure or function of the heart, heart failure, kidney impairment or other “systemic illnesses,” according to the memo.
Chronic Venous Insufficiency Is Common — What Causes It?
It’s not that surprising that the president received this diagnosis because it’s quite prevalent, says Elizabeth L. Chou, MD, an assistant professor and vascular surgeon at the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles.
“Chronic venous insufficiency is a common condition, affecting between 10 to 35 percent of U.S. adults,” says Dr. Chou, who didn’t treat the president and spoke only in general terms about his diagnosis.
There are several risk factors for chronic venous insufficiency, in addition to advanced age. According to the StatPearls, these include:
- Obesity
- Tobacco use
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Female sex
- Oral contraceptive use
- Family history of varicose veins
- Personal history of DVT
“People who stand or sit for long periods of time throughout the day are at risk for it because veins return blood from our feet to our heart and rely on our leg muscles and muscle activity like walking to help squeeze the blood against gravity back to our heart,” says Chou.
When we stand or sit for long periods of time, the leg muscles don’t squeeze, and the veins rely on valves within them to prevent the blood from going back towards our feet, Chou says. Over a long period of time, these valves may become leaky, and allow blood to seep back towards the feet. “This process of leaky valves is the underlying cause of chronic venous insufficiency,” Chou says.
How Is Chronic Venous Insufficiency Treated?
Treatment for chronic venous insufficiency involves a variety of interventions designed to improve blood flow in the veins.
This may include:
- Lifestyle changes such as walking or other regular exercise to improve blood flow in the veins
- Weight loss if you are overweight or have obesity
- Spending several periods of the day elevating your legs above the level of your heart to reduce pressure on veins in the legs
Compression bandages and stockings can also help ease swelling in the legs and improve blood flow.
Physicians can perform nonsurgical treatments for chronic venous insufficiency, including endovenous thermal ablation, a process that uses a laser or high-frequency radio waves to apply heat that closes up the diseased vein.
Minimally invasive surgery can clip off damaged veins so blood no longer flows through them. For more severe cases there’s vein bypass surgery, which removes diseased veins and then replaces them with a healthy vein taken from elsewhere in the body.
“Chronic venous insufficiency is usually not life- or limb-threatening,” says Chou. “It is a condition that causes symptoms that may impair quality of life and the appearance of the legs and feet. A combination of conservative and surgical procedures can greatly improve quality of life and appearance.”
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