21 Aug 2022

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Disorders in the Veins and Arteries

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The primary function of veins is that it provides a channel through which blood can flow from body organs, and back to the heart. Since human legs are far below the heart, blood is forced to flow in an upward direction. Veins have valves in them that help in making sure that blood does not flow back in a downwards direction. At times, however, these valves tend not to function well and hence results in the occurrence of venous insufficiency. When valves fail to function as they are meant to, they cause some blood to flow back downwards (Yamaki, 2013) . Health personals have confirmed venous insufficiency as a prevalent condition since almost 40 percent of adults in the United States are affected. The chances of experiencing this condition increase as one gets older. The condition, however, is more common in men than in women. 

Whereas venous insufficiency or chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is mostly caused when blood in the leg veins is impaired, due to improper functioning of veins, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) on the other hand occurs when there is clotting of blood in the veins. DVT in most cases occurs when an individual has certain medical related conditions that directly affect how the blood clots. Unlike CVI, deep vein thrombosis also occurs when one does not make movements for a prolonged period of time. For instance, it may occur after one undergoes surgery or after an accident has happened. DVT should be taken very serious since when blood clots in the veins, it might cause them to break and cause the lungs to lodge and in the process blocking the flow of blood (Huether, McCance & Felver, 2017) . At times, chronic venous insufficiency occurs as a result of DVT. Many types of research have proven that 30 percent of people affected with deep vein thrombosis are likely to develop CVI within ten years after diagnosis. 

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As the names suggest, the primary difference between venous thrombosis and arterial thrombosis is that one occurs in the veins while the other occurs in the arteries. In other words, venous thrombosis refers to an instance where there is clotting of blood in the veins (Yamaki, 2013) . Arterial thrombosis, on the other hand, refers to a condition whereby blood clots in the arteries. The other significant difference between these two is that venous thrombosis often happens when there is low shear flow. This mostly occurs around the endothelial wall. Arterial thrombosis on the other hand often happens under high shear flow. 

According to CDC close to 600,000 people in America have the potential of getting affected by DVT and CVI which are categorized as life-threatening conditions. In some studies, men often develop blood clots that result in deep vein thrombosis at a higher rate than women. However, due to some women risk factor such as carrying of pregnancy, and taking birth control pills, raise their chances of developing either DVT or chronic venous insufficiency (Blann, 2015) . Although men are generally at a higher risk of first and recurrent DVT and CVI as compared to women, the pathophysiology that underlines this phenomenon is not known. 

The idea that men and women have a difference when it comes to pathophysiology is yet to emerge in evidence-based medicine. However, gender difference when it comes to CVI and DVT can be dated back many decades. In the mid-1700s, medicine practitioners noticed that some women had swollen legs during puerperium (Vaidyanathan, Menon, Jacob & John, 2015) . This was however believed to be as a result of milk retention in the leg. Later on, the true identity of this “milk leg” was identified as deep vein thrombosis. In the 1850s, CVI and DVT were explained to be as a result of an abrupt change in the composition of blood. The other explanation is that CVI and DVT were a result of damaged vessel walls. Men and women were never included among the key factors that played a role in the onset of either DVT or CVI. However, it was not until the 2004 publication of Australian research that showed men had a higher risk of DVT and CVI more than women. 

In further research into CVI, DVT and their connection to gender, it was discovered that the two disorders are similar to both sexes. However, when viewing the different groups separately, the difference between males and females become more apparent. These incidents appear to be higher among women who are at a childbearing age compared to men of the same age. However, as the years go by, the incidences go higher in men than in women (Blann, 2015) . The variation is believed to be as a result of changes in the level of female endogenous hormones, female exposure to pregnancy or exogenous hormones. 

In case one develops either deep vein thrombosis or chronic venous insufficiency, then such a person should consider checking into a hospital for immediate treatment. A patient of either of this incident would need a blood thinner to help him/her avoid pulmonary embolism- a situation whereby the veins break off, and blood travels to the lungs (Vaidyanathan, Menon, Jacob & John, 2015) . During the day, the patient should periodically elevate his/her legs. One could as well prop up his/her feet using various things around the office of the house. While going to bed, one should consider sleeping with his/her legs placed on a pillow or cushion as this helps to elevate the legs. It is also essential to check out different pneumatic compressions devices like air compression boots. Such devices have proven to be of great help in reducing pooling in the legs and returning blood to the mid-body. Before getting out of bed in the morning, a patient of CVI and DVT should put on support hosiery. Support hosieries should be considered as they are good at preventing, and minimizing swelling. 

Reference 

Blann, A. (2015). Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism . M & K. 

Huether, S., McCance, K., & Felver, L. (2017). Study guide for Understanding pathophysiology (6th ed.). St. Louis: Elsevier. 

Vaidyanathan, S., Menon, R., Jacob, P., & John, B. (2015). Chronic Venous Disorders of the Lower Limbs . New Delhi: Springer India. 

Yamaki, T. (2013). Deep vein thrombosis . Hauppauge, N.Y.: Nova Science. 

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StudyBounty. (2023, September 15). Disorders in the Veins and Arteries.
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