Why You Should Not Ignore Venous Insufficiency Symptoms

Venous insufficiency is not uncommon as it affects many adults, particularly those over 50 years old. The condition occurs when your veins responsible for sending blood back to the heart malfunction, causing blood to pool in them. Although this condition is common, it is not worth ignoring as it can lead to more severe complications. Tinley Park vein care specialists at Vascular Specialists can help you avoid such cases by diagnosing your condition and helping you manage it. Failure to seek such expert care can cause further complications as outlined herein.

How Can You Tell You Have Venous Insufficiency?

While your veins fail to send blood back to the heart, you can experience several symptoms that indicate you have venous insufficiency. One of the most common symptoms you can experience is discoloration of your legs or emerging of large veins in the legs. The veins may be purple or blue and can appear like spider webs having twisted branches.

You can also notice skin changes, including dryness, thickening, and the appearance of skin ulcers. Besides, venous insufficiency can cause significant discomfort and swelling in your legs, and you should not wait longer to seek medical help. Although most of the symptoms are not life-threatening, they can become problematic if they progress without proper treatment.

Risks of Untreated Venous Insufficiency

As mentioned earlier, ignoring venous insufficiency symptoms can increase your chances for more life-threatening complications. They include:

Deep Vein Thrombosis

When blood pools in your veins due to a malfunctioning valve, it may result in a blood clot. This is what is commonly known as deep vein thrombosis. In its worse case, the clot can break off, circulating through your blood and destroying your organs. A moving blood clot increases your risks for pulmonary embolism, a life-threatening complication. Therefore, it would help to seek an early diagnosis for venous insufficiency to avoid it developing to this extent.

Spontaneous Bleeding and Ulcers

Venous insufficiency causes your veins to bulge, and over time they can deteriorate or enlarge, significantly affecting your vein’s capabilities. When this happens dramatically, blood pools in the enlarged veins forcefully, causing them to swell and create painful ulcers. The ulcers can cause rashes, dryness, and burning or itching sensations. The ulcers can spontaneously bleed or ooze with a vulgar smelling substance.

Stasis Dermatitis

With a poor circulation in your legs, you are at risk for stasis dermatitis, a common skin inflammation complication. The complication may also be due to a clot or plaque buildup in the veins after blood pools. You may experience open sores, reddish skin, itchiness, and your legs or feet may swell. Initially, your skin can thicken, turn dark brown, or harden. However, the changes can become permanent over time, and that is why you should avoid getting this far by taking venous insufficiency symptoms seriously.

Cellulitis

This is a common yet painful bacterial infection that occurs in severe cases of stasis dermatitis. You may experience swollen lymph nodes, fever, chills, swollen and red skin. Without proper treatment, this condition can be life-threatening, that is why you should seek medical help soon after experiencing the symptoms.

It would be best not to ignore venous insufficiency symptoms as it can lead to severe complications, as mentioned. Therefore, contact your provider at Vascular Specialists right away if you experience any symptoms related to the condition.