.jpg%3Fitok%3DUHlaZb_r&w=3840&q=100)
What is chronic venous insufficiency, the condition Trump was diagnosed with?
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt revealed Trump had been experiencing swelling in his lower legs and bruising on his right hand – though emphasising that both ailments were benign. She added that the latter was a result of "tissue irritation from frequent handshaking".
Trump's physician, Sean Barbabella, said an ultrasound on the president's legs 'revealed chronic venous insufficiency, a benign and common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70'.
What is chronic venous insufficiency?
Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) occurs when veins in the leg cannot properly carry blood back up to the heart.
Overcoming gravity to pump blood from the feet all the way up to the heart is a challenge, especially when someone is standing or sitting for long periods. Leg veins are hence lined with one-way valves that keep blood from sliding backward on that journey.
When the valves do not work properly, blood flows backward and can pool in the lower legs, leading to symptoms such as swelling around the feet and ankles.
Damage to the valves can stem from changes in the veins, such as when they weaken and enlarge, making it hard for the valve to close fully. Anything that damages those valves can lead to CVI.
People are more likely to develop CVI if they are overweight, pregnant, have a family history or suffered leg damage from surgery, previous blood clots or other injuries.
What are the symptoms of CVI?
Besides swelling in the lower legs, symptoms can also include legs that are achy, heavy feeling or tingly and varicose veins. Severe cases could trigger leg sores known as ulcers.
Tiny blood vessels under the skin called capillaries can also rupture because of the increased blood and pressure in the legs.
Symptoms may also include cracked skin, open sores on the skin's surface and brown-coloured skin near the ankles.
How serious a condition is CVI?
CVI is not a serious health threat, but it can be painful and disabling, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Todd Berland, a physician who is director of outpatient vascular interventions at NYU Langone Health, said chronic venous insufficiency 'has no overall effect on life expectancy. It's a quality-of-life issue, not a quantity of life issue'.
But Kwame Amankwah, a physician who is chief of vascular surgery at the University of Connecticut in Hartford, warned that the condition still cannot be left untreated.
'If it's not managed with compression stockings and elevation, severe swelling and ulcers can develop, warranting more significant medical interventions,' he said.
What's the progression of CVI?
CVI usually starts off mild but may cause more serious complications and discomfort over time. There are six stages.
Stage zero is characterised by no symptoms. Stage six brings active sores on the legs.
People are usually diagnosed at stage three, when swelling is noticeable.
A study published in the European Heart Journal in 2021 found CVI was associated with the presence of heart disease, and patients with it were at increased risk of dying during six years of follow up, regardless of their age or other health conditions.
How is CVI treated?
Doctors must first rule out serious causes of leg swelling, such as heart problems, kidney disease or blood clots.
There is no cure for CVI, so treatment is aimed at alleviating pain and pressure. Treatment options depend on patient choice, severity of the condition and fitness levels.
Lifestyle changes are the first step, including increasing exercise and elevating the legs above the heart several times a day.
Dr Anahita Dua, a vascular surgeon at Mass General Brigham, said people with the condition can reduce the swelling by wearing medical-grade compression socks or stockings, to help the blood circulate back to the heart.
Medications may be prescribed to increase blood flow through the vessels or help ulcers heal.
Laser ablation, a minimally invasive procedure, may be done to seal the vein and improve overall blood flow.
In more serious cases, sclerotherapy, in which a chemical is injected into the affected veins, may be used. The chemical causes scarring in the veins so that they no longer carry blood. Blood then returns to the heart through other veins.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CNA
a day ago
- CNA
Israel announces daily pauses in Gaza fighting as aid airdrops begin
JERUSALEM/GAZA: Israel on Sunday (Jul 27) announced a halt in military operations for 10 hours a day in parts of Gaza and new aid corridors as Jordan and the United Arab Emirates airdropped supplies into the enclave, where images of starving Palestinians have alarmed the world. Israel has been facing growing international criticism, which the government rejects, over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and indirect ceasefire talks in Doha between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have broken off with no deal in sight. US President Donald Trump, on a visit to Scotland, said Israel would have to make a decision on its next steps in Gaza, and he did not know what would happen after the collapse of ceasefire and hostage-release negotiations with Hamas. Military activity will stop from 10am to 8pm (7am to 5pm GMT) until further notice in Al-Mawasi, a designated humanitarian area which stretches along the coast, in central Deir al-Balah and in Gaza City, to the north. The military said designated secure routes for convoys delivering food and medicine will also be in place between 6am and 11pm starting from Sunday. UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said staff would step up efforts to feed the hungry during the pauses in the fighting. "Our teams on the ground ... will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window," he said in a post on X. In their first airdrop in months, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates parachuted 25 tons of aid into Gaza on Sunday, a Jordanian official said, adding that those were not a substitute for delivery by land. Palestinian health officials in Gaza City said at least 10 people were injured by falling aid boxes. Work on a UAE project to run a new pipeline that will supply water from a desalination facility in neighbouring Egypt to around 600,000 Gazans along the coast would also begin in a few days, the Israeli military said. Dozens of Gazans have died of malnutrition in recent weeks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry in the Hamas-run enclave. The health ministry reported six new deaths over the past 24 hours due to malnutrition, bringing the total number of deaths from malnutrition and hunger since the war began in 2023 to 133 including 87 children. On Saturday, a five-month-old baby, Zainab Abu Haleeb, died of malnutrition at Nasser Hospital, health workers said. "Three months inside the hospital and this is what I get in return, that she is dead," said her mother, Israa Abu Haleeb, as the baby's father held their daughter's body wrapped in a white shroud. The Egyptian Red Crescent said it was sending more than 100 trucks carrying over 1,200 metric tons of food to southern Gaza on Sunday. Some had been looted in the area of Khan Younis after entering Gaza, residents said. Aid groups said last week there was mass hunger among Gaza's 2.2 million people and international alarm over the humanitarian situation has increased. A group of 25 states including Britain, France and Canada last week said Israel's denial of aid was unacceptable. The military's spokesperson said Israel was committed to international law and monitors the humanitarian situation daily. Brigadier General Effie Defrin said there was no starvation in Gaza, but appeared to acknowledge conditions were critical. "When we start approaching a problematic line (threshold) then the IDF works to let in humanitarian aid," he said. "That's what happened over the weekend." Israel cut off aid to Gaza from the start of March to pressure Hamas into giving up dozens of hostages it still holds and reopened it with new restrictions in May. It says it has been allowing in aid but must prevent it from being diverted by militants and blames Hamas for the suffering of Gaza's people. HOPE, UNCERTAINTY Many Gazans expressed some relief at Sunday's announcement, but said fighting must end. "People are happy that large amounts of food aid will come into Gaza," said Tamer Al-Burai, a business owner. "We hope today marks a first step in ending this war that burned everything up." Health officials at Al-Awda and Al-Aqsa Hospitals in central Gaza said Israeli firing killed at least 17 people waiting for aid trucks. Israel's military said it fired warning shots at suspects endangering troops and was unaware of any casualties. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would continue to allow the entry of humanitarian supplies whether it is fighting or negotiating a ceasefire and vowed to press on with the campaign until "complete victory". Hamas said Israel was continuing its military offensive. "What is happening isn't a humanitarian truce," said Hamas official Ali Baraka. The war began on Oct 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters stormed southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.


CNA
2 days ago
- CNA
A common assumption about ageing may be wrong, study suggests
A new analysis of data gathered from a small indigenous population in the Bolivian Amazon suggests some of our basic assumptions about the biological process of ageing might be wrong. Inflammation is a natural immune response that protects the body from injury or infection. Scientists have long believed that long-term, low-grade inflammation – also known as 'inflammageing' – is a universal hallmark of getting older. But this new data raises the question of whether inflammation is directly linked to ageing at all, or if it's linked to a person's lifestyle or environment instead. The study, which was published recently, found that people in two non-industrialised areas experienced a different kind of inflammation throughout their lives than more urban people – likely tied to infections from bacteria, viruses and parasites rather than the precursors of chronic disease. Their inflammation also didn't appear to increase with age. Scientists compared inflammation signals in existing data sets from four distinct populations in Italy, Singapore, Bolivia and Malaysia; because they didn't collect the blood samples directly, they couldn't make exact apples-to-apples comparisons. But if validated in larger studies, the findings could suggest that diet, lifestyle and environment influence inflammation more than ageing itself, said Alan Cohen, an author of the paper and an associate professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University. 'Inflammageing may not be a direct product of aging, but rather a response to industrialised conditions,' he said, adding that this was a warning to experts like him that they might be overestimating its pervasiveness globally. 'How we understand inflammation and ageing health is based almost entirely on research in high-income countries like the US,' said Thomas McDade, a biological anthropologist at Northwestern University. But a broader look shows that there's much more global variation in ageing than scientists previously thought, he added. The study 'sparks valuable discussion' but needs much more follow-up 'before we rewrite the inflammageing narrative,' said Bimal Desai, a professor of pharmacology who studies inflammation at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. INFLAMMATION IS DIFFERENT IN DIFFERENT PLACES In the study, researchers compared blood samples from about 2,800 adults between 18 and 95. People in the more industrialised Chianti region of Italy and in Singapore both showed the types of proteins that signal inflammageing. The Tsimane group in Bolivia and the Orang Asli group in Malaysia, on the other hand, had different inflammatory markers likely tied to infections, instead of the proteins marking inflammageing. (The four datasets used blood samples with subjects' informed consent, whether written or verbal, and institutional approval.) The fact that inflammation markers looked so similar in groups from industrialised regions, but so different from the others, is striking, said Aurelia Santoro, an associate professor at the University of Bologna who was not involved in the study. 'This suggests that immune cells are activated in fundamentally different ways depending on context.' The Tsimane population's protein markers were less linked to inflammageing than the Orang Asli's; authors speculated that this might be because of differences in lifestyle and diet. Some experts questioned the findings' significance. Vishwa Deep Dixit, director of the Yale Center for Research on Aging, said it's not surprising that lifestyles with less exposure to pollution are linked to lower rates of chronic disease. 'This becomes a circular argument' that doesn't prove or disprove whether inflammation causes chronic disease, he said. Either way, the findings need to be validated in larger, more diverse studies that follow people over time, experts said. While they had lower rates of chronic disease, the two Indigenous populations tended to have life spans shorter than those of people in industrialised regions, meaning they may simply not have lived long enough to develop inflammageing, Dr Santoro said. THE PROBLEM MAY BE TIED TO URBAN LIVING Because the study looked at protein markers in blood samples, and not specific lifestyle or diet differences among populations, scientists had to make educated guesses about why industrialised groups experience more inflammageing, Dr Cohen said. Dr McDade, who has previously studied inflammation in the Tsimane group, speculated that populations in non-industrialised regions might be exposed to certain microbes in water, food, soil and domestic animals earlier in their lives, bolstering their immune response later in life. At the same time, people in urbanised, industrial environments are 'exposed to a lot of pollutants and toxins,' many of which have ' demonstrated pro-inflammatory effects,' he said. Diet and lifestyle could also play a part: The Tsimane tend to live in small settlements with their extended family and eat a largely plant-based diet, he said. There might also be good and bad types of inflammation, Dr Cohen said. While the indigenous populations did experience inflammation from infection, those levels weren't tied to chronic disease later in life. That could mean that the presence of inflammation alone isn't as bad as we thought, he added. It's not clear if people can do anything to manage inflammageing late in life. People who want to age more healthily may be better off eating better and exercising more to regulate immune response in the long run, instead of focusing on drugs or supplements advertised to target inflammation, Dr Cohen said.


CNA
2 days ago
- CNA
Can botox really improve your self-esteem? Depends on how you already feel about yourself, say experts
These days, for every flaw we perceive about our bodies, there seems to be a treatment, procedure or regimen designed to "fix" each one. Social media is rife with content promising aesthetic perfection. We fixate on beauty standards led by influencers, going down the rabbit hole of tutorials and tell-alls on how to achieve sculpted jawlines or glass-like skin. Counsellor Bethany Chuah from psychological consultancy firm Mind What Matters said that studies have shown a clear link between social media materials such as these and an increase in cosmetic procedures. Filtered images create the illusion that constant self-enhancement is normal or even necessary, and this can be psychologically risky. The sea change is clear: Cosmetic procedures used to be something we kept hush-hush, but they are appearing more in public discourse and conversations. Recently, American personality Kylie Jenner made a comment on a fan's TikTok video that quickly went viral, sharing the details of her breast augmentation surgery, down to the name of the surgeon and implant size. Men are not exempt from similar pursuits. One of the newer trends to surface on online communities is "looksmaxxing", where young men seek to enhance their "sexual market value" through facial massages and cosmetic surgeries. It has spawned a peculiar vocabulary used by those who subscribe to these ideas when discussing about their features. For instance, "mewing" refers to a tongue exercise that purportedly sharpens jaw shapes, "IPDs" refers to interpupillary distance or the gap between the eyes, and "canthal tilt" is used to describe the angle of the eyes. In Singapore, the Ministry of Health said that the number of licensed providers offering aesthetic services rose by an average of about 40 a year between 2020 and 2023. More young Singaporeans are opting for "injectables" such as botox and collagen shots. Mental health experts told CNA TODAY that body dissatisfaction is normal to a certain extent. For instance, adolescents aim to look "cool" or be consistent with a certain image of themselves. Mr Benjamin Low, senior clinical psychologist at specialist clinic Psych Connect, said that women, in particular, experience "normative discontent". This means they are often encouraged to be discontented with their looks and seek to appear better. However, "better" is defined according to prevailing ideals in society. The insecurity we may feel about our faces or bodies is nothing new, but we now have the means to do something about it. We can smooth out every wrinkle, regrow every hairline. With all these new avenues for "improvement", imperfection now seems intolerable. Fake is no longer taboo; unreal is the new norm. Yet, given how easy it is to step into a clinic and book a consultation – or even an appointment for a procedure right away – how can we tell if we are doing it for the right reasons? Are we acting out of an unhealthy insecurity about our faces or bodies? Can a desire to undertake such procedures ever come from a neutral, grounded place? BODY POSITIVITY OR INSECURITY? Firstly, it is important to note that there are differences in facial and body enhancements. Invasive surgeries involve using an instrument to make skin incisions, often leaving scars. Some examples are nose reshaping, body contouring or facial surgery. On the other hand, non-invasive procedures leave the skin intact and are usually performed via syringes or lasers. These cheaper, more convenient options usually don't require general anaesthesia and require less time for the patient to recover. Facial injections such as botox and dermal fillers fall under this category. Both invasive and non-invasive procedures are getting increasingly popular. However, when is a person's desire for such an intervention borne out of a simple want for self-enhancement, and when does it reflect darker psychological causes? Counsellor and psychotherapist Ana Jeremiah, who runs private practice The Journey Within, said that it is important to hold space for both sides of the spectrum. "When it is about self-enhancement, the decision usually stems from a place of clarity and self-agency," she said. In this case, these people likely already feel generally fine with themselves but want to align their outer appearance with how they feel inside. They are not driven by fear, pressure to conform or a need to be accepted and they can reflect honestly about their intent behind seeking a procedure. Ms Jeremiah added: "They might be happy with who they are and where they are in life, and choose to undergo a procedure as a form of self-expression or even a personal reward, rather than out of shame or the hope that changing their appearance will solve deeper emotional pain." One of her clients made the decision to undergo such a procedure from a self-aware position, and it ended up supporting her self-confidence. Ms Jeremiah attributes this to her client not making the mistake of letting her decision-making be driven by insecurity. On the flip side, choices that stem from unhealthy reasons may not achieve the desired outcome. "(Those) rooted in insecurity often carry urgency, shame or the belief that changing their appearance will finally make them feel 'enough', loved or accepted," Ms Jeremiah said. Mr Low highlighted this factor for those who feel that most or all of their self-worth is based on their appearance. Such individuals may feel great discomfort in situations where their appearance may be noticed, for instance, in mirrors or among people. "Grounds for suspecting an unhealthy cause are increased if the perceived flaw is not commonly seen as a flaw in the person's culture or if the flaw is barely noticeable objectively," he added. OBSESSIVE CHECKING Mr Low also stressed that if a person keeps looking at and negatively evaluating the state of the perceived flaw, their motivation for "fixing" it is likely to be psychologically unhealthy. Such individuals may also often try to conceal the flaw, he said. For example, avoiding physical interaction with people, or wearing jackets to conceal perceived fat despite hot weather. This masking or avoidance behaviour can occur despite their desire to socialise with friends, for instance, or to dress lighter in humid climates. Another red flag indicating unhealthy mindsets or attitudes is when people go for repeated procedures. Mr Low pointed out that in such cases, the risk is that procedures borne out of unhealthy psychological causes will never be enough. To self-identify a facial feature or body part as unsatisfactory or unseemly and then addressing it with external procedures might offer temporary relief, but "dissatisfaction with the same (feature or) part may resurface", he warned. "They may also feel that the procedure did not fix it to their full satisfaction despite a technical success." Alternatively, these people might simply shift their fixation to a different feature or part. "A physical fix does not fix a psychological cause," he added. Another sign of trouble is if people seeking cosmetic enhancements believe that the procedures will magically fix unrelated areas of their life – suddenly finding love, for instance, or gaining social acceptance, Ms Chuah of Mind What Matters said. Mr Jasper Loy, clinical director of Youthline, a youth service that provides free counselling, said that such individuals might not acknowledge the risks, pain, recovery time or potential for less-than-perfect results. Strong resistance to any psychological evaluation or counselling before surgery is a potential indication that they are unwilling to address the underlying issues driving their desire for surgery and other procedures, he added. "Cosmetic procedures can become a slippery slope. Each change briefly soothes insecurity, but doesn't address the root cause (of this need)," Ms Chuah emphasised. "Long-term body confidence often requires deeper work." If someone is considering a procedure, Ms Jeremiah offered some important questions that they should ask themselves: "Am I doing this to honour and express who I already am, or to finally feel 'enough' in the eyes of others?" This question helps clarify their motivation "If no one ever noticed or complimented the change, would I still want to do this?" This question gently invites one to reflect on whether the desire is truly for themselves or if it is rooted in external validation CONFIDENCE COMES FROM WITHIN Overall, Ms Chuah said genuine body confidence cannot come from a scalpel or syringe, but rather "from within". Building self-worth takes reflection, compassion and support from people who see your value beyond your appearance, she explained. "It is not a quick fix, but the results are longer-lasting than any procedure." Mr Loy from Youthline agreed that journeying towards self-acceptance requires patience. The ideal body is a myth, he said, and chasing it can lead to dissatisfaction and insecurity. Instead, we are better off learning to love ourselves as we are, recognising our inherent worth and celebrating our unique qualities, he advised. Worried that your friend, family member or loved one is considering an aesthetic procedure for the "wrong" reasons? The key is to lead with empathy, not judgment, the counsellors said. Instead of telling them what to do or what not to do, try to focus instead on helping them make an informed, self-aware decision, Ms Chuah proposed. Mr Low said that concern can start with care but then escalate into worry, persuasion and coercion. Avoid criticising them, he advised. Such criticisms may result in the distressed person feeling that they are a "problem" or are seen by others as one. Instead, Ms Chuah suggested asking open-ended questions to understand their perspectives and help them feel safe to honestly explore their motivations. Ms Jeremiah listed some prompts aimed at creating space for reflection without shame. For example, "What is leading you to consider this?' or "What do you hope it might change for you emotionally?" "Remind them that you care about them as a whole person," she added.