Get your health question answered instantly from our pool of 18000+ doctors from over 80 specialties
159 Doctors Online

By proceeding, I accept the Terms and Conditions

Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

HCM Blog Instant Access to Doctors
HCM BlogQuestions Answered
HCM Blog Satisfaction

What Causes Sudden Pain And Swelling Of The Veins In The Arms And Legs?

My veins swell up and cause me a lot of pain. When they do this I get feeling really week. Sometimes I feel like I m going to pass out. It s mostly in my arms and legs. I have been to at least 5 different hospitals, and seen many doctors. When my veins swell I usually get bad chest pains. But my EKG s come out normal. Any clue what s going on with me???
posted on Fri, 22 Jan 2016
Twitter Mon, 7 Mar 2016 Answered on
Twitter Tue, 8 Mar 2016 Last reviewed on
Report Abuse
General & Family Physician 's  Response
Thank you for your query
Would you please clarify a few things for me?

1)how old are you? Are you overweight?
2)do you smoke?
3) do you have diabetes or hypertension, high cholesterol levels?
4) have you had any surgeries or any trauma to the chest, neck or hip area.?
5)does any one on your family have any history of of clotting disorders?
6) are you on any medications?

Veins are called the capacitance vessels. They have the capacity to store more than 60.% of the total blood volume. These carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart whichever then go through the the right side of the heart into the lungs for oxygenation.
Oxygenated blood then returns from the lungs into the left heart and in pumped out to the rest of the body through the aorta and arteries.

Veins in the lower half of the body have valves that prevent back flow of blood, due to gravity.
When there is an occlusion anywhere along a vein, or if these valves don't function, bloods pools in the veins and cause bulging.
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)in the legs & axillary vein thrombosis of the arms are conditions where the lining of the veins are damaged (by various factors like inflammation, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, to name a few). This damaged area to collect healing cells and form clots.
If these are big enough, they can cause significant obstruction of flow which can lead to swollen veins. These clots may also break off and travel through the circulation and completely cut off circulation in vital organs like the lung and brain.
It is, hence, vital that you seek medical attention from a specialist (vascular surgeon or cardiologist). You will need an ultrasound of the veins, and possibly a CT scan/MRI (if the ultrasound is inconclusive).
You may need to be put on blood thinners, either in the hospital setting or at home.
These conditions can become life threatening and it is imperative that you have it checked out immediately.
An ECG is a study of the electrical conductivity of the heart and will only shows changes when there are changes to the heart muscle and in conduction.

When the bloods pools in your arms and legs, the preload of blood to your heart and hence brain and other organs reduce, causing your symptoms of lightheadedness and chest pain. These symptoms may be intermittent but can progress to a complete occlusion.
If you have any breathing difficulty, chest pain, giddiness, discoloration of your arms and feet go to the ER right away.

I hope I have asserted the importance of immediate diagnosis and intervention.
Please get back to us for further queries. Wish you good health
I find this answer helpful

Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.
Disclaimer: These answers are for your information only and not intended to replace your relationship with your treating physician.
This is a short, free answer. For a more detailed, immediate answer, try our premium service [Sample answer]
Share on
 

Related questions you may be interested in


Loading Online Doctors....
What Causes Sudden Pain And Swelling Of The Veins In The Arms And Legs?

Thank you for your query Would you please clarify a few things for me? 1)how old are you? Are you overweight? 2)do you smoke? 3) do you have diabetes or hypertension, high cholesterol levels? 4) have you had any surgeries or any trauma to the chest, neck or hip area.? 5)does any one on your family have any history of of clotting disorders? 6) are you on any medications? Veins are called the capacitance vessels. They have the capacity to store more than 60.% of the total blood volume. These carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart whichever then go through the the right side of the heart into the lungs for oxygenation. Oxygenated blood then returns from the lungs into the left heart and in pumped out to the rest of the body through the aorta and arteries. Veins in the lower half of the body have valves that prevent back flow of blood, due to gravity. When there is an occlusion anywhere along a vein, or if these valves don t function, bloods pools in the veins and cause bulging. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)in the legs & axillary vein thrombosis of the arms are conditions where the lining of the veins are damaged (by various factors like inflammation, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, to name a few). This damaged area to collect healing cells and form clots. If these are big enough, they can cause significant obstruction of flow which can lead to swollen veins. These clots may also break off and travel through the circulation and completely cut off circulation in vital organs like the lung and brain. It is, hence, vital that you seek medical attention from a specialist (vascular surgeon or cardiologist). You will need an ultrasound of the veins, and possibly a CT scan/MRI (if the ultrasound is inconclusive). You may need to be put on blood thinners, either in the hospital setting or at home. These conditions can become life threatening and it is imperative that you have it checked out immediately. An ECG is a study of the electrical conductivity of the heart and will only shows changes when there are changes to the heart muscle and in conduction. When the bloods pools in your arms and legs, the preload of blood to your heart and hence brain and other organs reduce, causing your symptoms of lightheadedness and chest pain. These symptoms may be intermittent but can progress to a complete occlusion. If you have any breathing difficulty, chest pain, giddiness, discoloration of your arms and feet go to the ER right away. I hope I have asserted the importance of immediate diagnosis and intervention. Please get back to us for further queries. Wish you good health