Donald Trump’s CVI diagnosis: What it means and why awareness matters

American president Donald Trump's Chronic Venous Insufficiency diagnosis has brought the often unknown chronic condition into the limelight. CVI affects nearly 30% of people worldwide. Experts explain its causes, warning signs, and modern treatment options.

When it was revealed that American president Donald Trump suffers from Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI), it brought the condition – which often flies under the radar – back into the spotlight. CVI now impacts almost 30 percent of the worldwide population, but people are strangely unaware of it. CVI is a chronic condition where the veins of the leg lose ability to pump adequately, causing poor venous return and associated capillary leakage.

While not as deadly as a heart attack or stroke, CVI can severely diminish quality of life if not treated. As the symptoms tend to develop gradually, CVI remains underdiagnosed and untreated, potentially causing complications in the long-run.

Trump’s diagnosis has raised discussions around this under-diagnosed vascular disease and the need for early diagnosis, early medical treatment, and prevention. Small lifestyle modifications, an accurate diagnosis, and appropriate treatment can ensure control of CVI and alleviate long-term discomfort and disability.

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What is Chronic Venous Insufficiency?

According to Dr Himanshu Verma, Director – Vascular & Endovascular Surgery, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon, “It is a dysfunction of the veins of the legs that impedes the efficient return of blood to the heart. Ordinarily, one-way valves in veins stop blood from flowing the wrong way. In CVI those valves are damaged and weakened and blood stays static in the legs.”

This stagnation of blood can cause flushing, the feeling of heaviness, derma pigmentation, superficial venous varicosities and more seriously, strife filled with pain, wounds, or even ulcers at the ankles. In basic terms CVI is when blood cannot return to the heart and is ‘held’ in the legs.

Why does CVI happen?

• Vein valves that are weak or broken such as in superficial veins.
• The presence of profound impediments/ obstructions in blood circulation within the pelvic or abdominal regions.
• The person having excess body weight, carrying a child or having sinuses inflammations could stand still for too long.

— Swelling in the ankles and legs

— Always feeling fatigue and dull aches in your legs after mild activities

— Apparently protruding Varicose veins

— Unsightly patches of skin that are itchy and appear to be tenting

— Development of non-healing and complicated ulcers in severe conditions.

Why CVI Isn’t Life-Threatening—But Needs Attention

• Typically Not Fatal: Unlike a stroke or cardiac arrest, CVI hasn’t been found to cause immediate death.
• Decrease in Life Quality: High levels CVI makes day to day activities and even minor movements difficult due to the constant feeling of heaviness, along with itching and the skin's texture.
• Serious Consequences if Left Untreated: Patients often need extended admission as a result of CVI that causes recurrent skin infections, Cellulitis and chronic venous ulcers, which in turn causes disability.
• May Indicate the Existence of Other Issues: Patients may suffer from CVI due to a concealed, underlying abdominal or pelvic vein obstruction due to previous thrombi.Though CVI is a chronic condition, patients are also required to make lifestyle changes to improve their vascular condition, including walking, compression stockings and even losing weight.Also Read: Does drinking too much milk cause kidney stones? Experts debunk the myth

With advancement in vascular care, current treatments do not require complicated surgeries for CVI.

• Laser Treatment (EVLT): A laser fiber surgically fuses broken veins while the patient is under local anesthesia.
• Venaseal: Venous sealant closes dysfunctional veins without the necessity for compression stockings after the procedure.
• Vein Stenting: Stents can be used when there are deeper blockages. All patients are able to walk the same day, have no stitches, and do not require overnight care.

Disclaimer: This article, including health and fitness advice, only provides generic information. Don’t treat it as a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist for specific health diagnosis.