Shedding light on venous disease
Published on: Friday, July 24, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: Cardiovascular disease is known as the top, age-related killer disease. However, few know about venous disease which is part of it just as much as the heart-related ones, said consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr Charles Lee.There are two blood pumps in the body; the heart and the Calf Muscle Pump (CMP) often called as the body's secondary heart, said the KPJ Sabah Specialist Hospital medical expert, who is a pioneer in the field, setting up the first plastic surgery clinic in the State.When the veins that channel the blood, with the much needed oxygen, back to the heart through the leg fail, that is when chronic venous diseases occur, he explained. Therefore, if there is a web of dark veins visibly fanning out in your calf or thighs, and you are suffering from dry skin, eczema and pigmentation or colour changes in the leg, you could be suffering from varicose veins and venous disease.ADVERTISEMENT If not stemmed during the early stage, venous disease can develop into deep vein thrombosis (DVT) which allows blood clots to block blood flow to the lungs, causing death. The KPJ Sabah Specialist Centre is stepping forward to help identify those suffering from the age-related degenerative disease by offering free screening to locals this Saturday. This effort is part of their 'Happy and Healthy Legs for Life' campaign which is aimed at increasing the awareness of varicose veins and chronic venous disease. The event will be launched by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Haji Yahya Hussin.The free screening includes visible assessment which identifies the obvious signs of the disease, and also a functional assessment that involves ultrasound examination of lower legs. The ultrasound examination will scan the valves that control blood flow at the sapheno-femoral and sapheno-popliteal junctions in the veins and check whether they are functional.Ageing is a side effect of the living process, said Dr Lee: "As a plastic surgeon, I just don't like the word anti-ageing. Anti-terrorist, yes, but not anti-ageing," he laughed. "Why do we have be anti? We have to grow old. But, we can embrace ageing smartly. It's about smart ageing," he said.ADVERTISEMENT Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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Those who are at risk include elderly people, women, especially those who had increased number of pregnancies, housewives and hairdressers who are prone to prolonged standing, manual labourers, factory workers and retail salesperson.Those with sedentary occupation and a family history of the disease are also urged to undergo the screening on Saturday.