Deep Vein Thrombosis: Main Causes, Symptoms and Modern Treatment

We often perceive daily swelling and heaviness in the legs as ordinary fatigue, and we ignore noticeably pronounced veins, believing that this is just an aesthetic defect. But these alarming signals can be the first signs of a dangerous condition - deep vein thrombosis of the lower extremities. Acute deep vein thrombosis is especially dangerous because it develops suddenly and without timely treatment can lead to serious complications.

The venous system ensures the return of blood from the tissues to the heart. This process is most difficult in the lower extremities because, in addition to the low blood pressure in the veins, gravity is added, which prevents adequate blood return, and, accordingly, the most significant number of problems develop in the legs. Almost 60–75% of adults face problems with the veins of the lower extremities. Varicose veins are the most common. This is a gradually increasing problem, which gives people some time to avoid various complications. The second most common, but probably more dangerous, problem is deep vein thrombosis, which occurs when blood flow insufficiency results from the formation of a blood clot inside the venous system, preventing the veins from fully performing their function.

What is vein thrombosis?

It is important to understand that thrombosis is not an independent disease, it is almost always a complication of other diseases.

A number of factors can be the causes of deep vein thrombosis. This can be physical inactivity, including prolonged sitting—both at work and in transport. Sitting for more than 4 hours can already lead to deep vein thrombosis in completely healthy people, including young people. Older people are more prone to this disease, often due to concomitant diseases, such as cancer. Moreover, such a dangerous condition can develop owing to changes in anatomical structures in developmental pathologies, as well as in pathologies of the blood coagulation system itself, and people’s predisposition to thrombosis in different regions. Another fairly large group of patients is young women who take oral contraceptives—these drugs can cause thrombosis, especially in women who smoke.

The most common cause of thrombosis is varicose veins. Varicose veins lead to insufficient blood flow from the lower extremities, which causes blood stasis, edema, trophic ulcers and thrombosis. Such conditions are not treated with pills and creams, on the contrary, they can lead to irreversible consequences. Surgical methods of treatment can help eliminate varicose veins and thrombosis.

Patients who know they have varicose veins should not delay treatment, even if they do not yet experience any clinical manifestations of the disease.

Read more about varicose veins in the article: Without pain and scars. How are varicose veins and other vein diseases treated today?

Is it possible to prevent deep vein thrombosis?

Several measures have been developed to prevent deep vein thrombosis, which are pretty simple. For example, when sitting for a long time, the use of compression hosiery is recommended. Therefore, the recommendation for absolutely all people is to wear stockings of the first or, better, second degree of compression during a long journey, which in itself will prevent deep vein thrombosis, often even against the background of already existing concomitant diseases.

What complications can the disease cause? Deep Vein Thrombosis: Symptoms

The main symptoms of deep vein thrombosis include swelling of the lower extremities, pain in the legs, a feeling of heaviness, increased local skin temperature, and discoloration of the limb. It is essential not to ignore these signs, because a timely visit to a doctor significantly reduces the risk of complications.

The manifestations and complications of this disease develop quite quickly. The simplest complication is swelling of the lower extremities. Usually, it is also accompanied by pain and decreased function; that is, after sitting on a chair, it is already difficult for a person to move his leg when he gets up. The leg remains warm, and its volume increases significantly; this condition can then lead to deep dysfunction of the limb and the potential risk of losing it. Also, the formation of clots inside the venous system threatens their detachment and further circulation through the vascular system, with the possibility of getting into the pulmonary artery, blocking the branches of the pulmonary artery, and as a result, oxygen saturation of the whole organism decreases, which threatens not only the health, but also the life of such a patient.

What are the methods of treating deep vein thrombosis?

Regarding the treatment of deep vein thrombosis of the lower extremities, a fairly standardized conservative therapy is currently available. This therapy initially involves injectable drugs, followed by a transition to tablet therapy, which is typically taken for an extended period if the underlying cause of thrombosis is successfully addressed. And if the leading cause of thrombosis cannot be eliminated, then the therapy lasts almost a lifetime. Conservative treatment is used in absolutely all patients regardless of the severity of the process. In patients with milder manifestations, this may be the only treatment method. In patients with more severe symptoms, who are already at risk of losing a limb or are at risk of developing complications such as pulmonary embolism, surgical treatment methods must be resorted to.

There are two types of surgical treatment – open surgery and intravascular interventions. Open surgery involves removing blood clots from a vein or bandaging a vein to prevent the blood clot from breaking off and entering the pulmonary artery. Such operations are rarely performed due to their high recurrence rate of symptoms and the associated risks of the operation itself and infection. Since open intervention has many complications, endovascular surgery has now taken the leading role in the surgical treatment of deep vein thrombosis.

Learn more about the methods of treating vein diseases from the video of our partner COR Medical life.