Los Angeles Times: What to Know About Chronic Venous Insufficiency—President Trump’s Health Diagnosis

The Los Angeles Times, Time and CBS 2 recently interviewed Cedars-Sinai vascular surgeons about chronic venous insufficiency—a condition that affects up to 40% of the U.S. population and typically occurs in people age 50 and older—following President Donald Trump’s recent diagnosis.

Ali Azizzadeh, MD, professor and director of Vascular Surgery at Cedars-Sinai, told Time that chronic venous insufficiency is one of the most common issues he treats in his practice. He explained how the condition disrupts the flow of deoxygenated blood returning to the heart through the veins.

“When somebody has chronic venous insufficiency, that means the veins are not working properly, and because of that, the blood—instead of going up towards the heart from the legs—can pool in the leg,” Azizzadeh said.

Elizabeth Chou, MD, a vascular surgeon at Cedars-Sinai, told CBS 2 that as people age, the valves in their veins begin to weaken and leak, allowing blood to trickle down to the feet and ankles. She said patients with chronic venous insufficiency will experience symptoms including swelling, tiredness, “heaviness of the legs or maybe bulging veins that you can see at your ankles or your calves.”

Azizzadeh, associate director of the Smidt Heart Institute, told the Los Angeles Times that lifestyle changes—wearing compression socks, elevating the legs and exercising regularly—can help treat the condition. For severe cases, experts recommend surgery to seal off leaking veins.

Watch the entire segment from CBS 2 and read the complete articles from Time and the Los Angeles Times.