Superficial Vein Thrombosis May Signal Deeper Problem
Reported July 22, 2009
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — People with superficial vein thrombosis may have an increased risk of developing vein thrombosis, a life-threatening condition.
In a new study, researchers found 24 percent of participants with superficial vein thrombosis — a condition that causes clotting in the blood vessels close to the skin — had deep vein thrombosis but showed no symptoms of the condition. The study also showed deep vein thrombosis occurred in the same leg as superficial vein thrombosis in 73 percent of participating patients, in the other leg in 9 percent of patients, and in both legs in 18 percent of patients. The authors say the calf muscle veins were most commonly affected.
Researchers looked at 46 men and women with. Each participant underwent color-coded duplex sonography testing to verify his or her vein thrombosis and rule out or detect deep vein thrombosis.
“The results of this study indicated that concurrent deep vein thrombosis is more likely when superficial vein thrombosis affects the lower leg,” study authors wrote. “In these cases, the deep veins should be assessed by color-coded duplex sonography to exclude or confirm acute deep vein thrombosis.”
SOURCE: Archives of Dermatology, July 2009
