The duration

Similar to the therapy, the prognosis of phlebitis is fully dependent on the causative disease. To come back to the three examples (leg vein thrombosis, autoimmune disease, chronic venous insufficiency), the following results can be seen Venous thrombosis can be treated well; depending on the degree of its severity, even by your family doctor. The blood thinning process is continued for 6 to 12 weeks and can then be stopped, provided everything is back to normal.

However, if repeated thromboses occur, a blood thinner will have to be taken for life. Chronic venous insufficiency and autoimmune diseases, on the other hand, are chronic diseases that can never be completely treated, but are at most subject to good control. While conservative measures such as compression stockings and exercise have the greatest effect in chronic venous insufficiency, autoimmune diseases must be treated with medication to ensure a normal life.

The course of the disease

The course of the disease is of course also highly dependent on the underlying disease.While chronic venous insufficiency and autoimmune diseases have a chronic course, i.e. they cannot be completely treated, thrombophlebitis is an acute disease that can be treated without leaving residues. However, chronic venous insufficiency is associated with the greatest restrictions in everyday life, as its therapy mainly consists of wearing compression stockings, and this as far as possible independent of weather conditions.

The Complications

Thrombophlebitis, the most common cause, always carries the risk of pulmonary artery embolism. In this case, part of the thrombosis would detach and travel via the heart into the blood vessels of the lung, where it would again become “blocked”. This complication is associated with increased mortality, but usually does not occur at all or only so subtly that it goes unnoticed.

Another complication after a venous thrombosis is the so-called postthrombotic syndrome. Here … Complications in chronic venous insufficiency are on the one hand the open leg, but on the other hand also infections that settle in the wounds and can cause blood poisoning, especially in older people.

The open leg is the dreaded complication of chronic venous insufficiency and describes a disappearance of the upper layer of skin in potentially different areas of the lower leg. However, the middle side of the lower leg is predisposed. Due to the venous insufficiency, there is a remodelling process in the body tissue around the blood vessels. As a result, it is very difficult for the blood to deliver oxygen to the surrounding tissue, and the cells that depend on the oxygen supply from the blood die – just like the uppermost layer of skin. The resulting wound, in turn, also lacks the necessary oxygen to heal, resulting in a permanently opened wound on the leg, which is the ideal breeding ground for bacterial/viral infections.