A Venous Malformation and Receiving Social Security Disability
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Image by Pulmonary Pathology via Flickr"]
[/caption]
A venous malformation is a lesion (abnormality of tissue) that occurs as a result of dilated (enlarged, expanded) veins that have been abnormally formed. A venous malformation usually appears on your skin, but it can also develop in your organs, muscle or bone. These legions can even develop on your brain, but this is very rare.
A venous malformation is typically soft and dark blue. However, it can become hard if a blood clot develops. The size of a venous malformation can be anywhere from a pinhead-sized dot to a huge lesion several inches in diameter. A venous malformation may be one single lesion, or it may be one of many lesions.
The walls of the affected vein do not have the smooth muscle cells that are evidenced in a normal vein when a venous malformation is present. The exact cause of a venous malformation is not known. However, in families with multiple venous malformations, DNA studies have revealed mutated (defective) genes that are responsible for the communication between your cell lining and the smooth muscle cells in the walls of your vein.
A venous malformation is the most common kind of vascular anomaly. Somewhere around 1 to 4% of the population of the United States has a venous malformation. Men and women are affected equally by these lesions.
There are several signs and symptoms that you may experience with a venous malformation. These signs and symptoms vary according to the location of your venous malformation. Some of these are:
[/caption]
- Difficulties with breathing
- Problems with speaking
- Painful swelling and enlargement of the affected area
- Blood clots that cause a pulmonary embolus
- Localized intravascular coagulation
- Painful formation of blood clots
- Skin that usually appears purple or blue
- The formation of vein stones (phleboliths).
