Category: Health

A brain (cerebral) aneurysm is a bulge in a weak area of a blood vessel in or around your brain. Most aneurysms are small and don’t cause issues. But a ruptured brain aneurysm is life-threatening. The first sign of a ruptured brain aneurysm is usually a severe headache — the worst headache you’ve ever had. Seek medical care immediately if you have symptoms of a brain aneurysm rupture.

What is a brain aneurysm?

A brain aneurysm, also called a cerebral aneurysm, is a bulge in a weak area of an artery in or around your brain. The constant pressure of blood flow pushes the weakened section outward, creating a blister-like bump.

When blood rushes into this bulge, the aneurysm stretches even farther. It’s similar to how a balloon gets thinner and is more likely to pop as it fills with air.

Brain aneurysms can occur anywhere in your brain, but most of them form in the major arteries along the base of your skull. Approximately 10% to 30% of people who have a brain aneurysm have multiple aneurysms. The majority of brain aneurysms are small and don’t cause symptoms.

An aneurysm can cause symptoms if it puts pressure on nearby nerves or brain tissue. If the aneurysm leaks or ruptures (bursts open), it causes bleeding in your brain. A ruptured brain aneurysm can be life-threatening and requires emergency medical treatment. As more time passes with a ruptured aneurysm, the likelihood of death or disability increases.

What happens when a brain aneurysm ruptures?

When it ruptures, blood spills (hemorrhages) into your surrounding brain tissue. The blood can put excess pressure on your brain tissue and make your brain swell. It usually causes a severe headache called a thunderclap headache, in addition to other symptoms.

A ruptured brain aneurysm can cause serious health problems such as:

• Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH): Bleeding in the area between your brain and the thin tissues that cover and protect it (the arachnoid layer). About 90% of SAHs are due to ruptured brain aneurysms.
• Hemorrhagic stroke: Bleeding in the space between your skull and brain.

This can result can in permanent brain damage or other complications such as:

• Vasospasm: This happens when blood vessels get narrower or clamp down and less oxygen reaches your brain.
• Hydrocephalus: This happens when a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid or blood around your brain puts increased pressure on it.
• Seizures: A seizure is a temporary, uncontrolled surge of electrical activity in your brain. It can make brain damage due to a ruptured aneurysm worse.
• Coma: A state of prolonged unconsciousness. It can last days to weeks.
• Death: Ruptured brain aneurysms result in death in about 50% of cases.

Who do brain aneurysms affect?

Brain aneurysms can affect anyone and at any age. But they’re most likely to affect people between the ages of 30 and 60. They’re also more common in women.

How common are brain aneurysms?

Up to 6% of people in the U.S. have an aneurysm in their brain that isn’t bleeding (an unruptured aneurysm). Ruptured brain aneurysms are less common. They occur in approximately 30,000 people in the U.S. per year.

What are the symptoms of a brain aneurysm?

Brain aneurysm symptoms vary based on whether it’s unruptured or ruptured.

Symptoms of a ruptured brain aneurysm

Symptoms of a ruptured aneurysm include:

• Thunderclap headache (sudden onset and severe, often described as “The worst headache of my life”).
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Stiff neck.
• Blurred or double vision.
• Sensitivity to light (photophobia).
• Seizures.
• Drooping eyelid and a dilated pupil.
• Pain above and behind your eye.
• Confusion.
• Weakness and/or numbness.
• Loss of consciousness.

Call 911 or get to the nearest emergency room as soon as possible if you have these symptoms.

When a brain aneurysm leaks a small about of blood it’s called a sentinel bleed. You may experience warning headaches (called sentinel headaches) from a tiny aneurysm leak days or weeks before a significant rupture.

Symptoms of an unruptured brain aneurysm

Most unruptured (intact) brain aneurysms don’t cause symptoms. If they become large enough, the bulge in your artery can put pressure on nearby nerves or brain tissue, causing the following symptoms:

• Headaches.
• Vision changes.
• Enlarged (dilated) pupil.
• Numbness or tingling on your head or face.
• Pain above and behind your eye.
• Seizures.

See a healthcare provider as soon as possible if you’re experiencing these symptoms.

What causes brain aneurysms?

Brain aneurysms develop when the walls of an artery in your brain become thin and weak. They usually form at branching points of arteries. Sometimes, you can be born with a brain aneurysm. This is typically due to an abnormality (birth defect) in an artery wall. Several other factors can contribute to the weakening of an artery.

The following inherited factors affect the health of your arteries and can increase your risk of developing a brain aneurysm:

• Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
• Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.
• Marfan syndrome.
• Fibromuscular dysplasia.
• Arteriovenous malformation.
• Having a first-degree relative (biological sibling or parent) with a history of brain aneurysms.

The following conditions and situations can weaken your artery walls over time:

• Smoking.
• High blood pressure.
• Substance use, particularly cocaine.
• Excessive alcohol use.

What causes a brain aneurysm to rupture?

The factors that contribute to the development of a brain aneurysm can also cause it to rupture (burst) and bleed.

Researchers think high blood pressure is the most common cause of a rupture. Higher blood pressure makes blood push harder against blood vessel walls. Situations that can increase blood pressure and lead to a brain aneurysm rupture include:

• Ongoing stress or a sudden burst of anger or other strong emotion.
• Working hard (straining) to lift, carry or push something heavy like weights or furniture.
• Known high blood pressure that isn’t properly treated with medications.

Many factors determine whether an aneurysm is likely to burst, including:

• Size and shape: Smaller aneurysms may be less likely to bleed than larger, irregularly shaped ones.
• Growth: If an aneurysm has grown over time, it may be more likely to rupture.
• Location: Aneurysms on the posterior communicating arteries (a pair of arteries in the back of your brain) and the anterior communicating artery (an artery in the front of your brain) have a higher risk of rupturing than brain aneurysms in other locations.
• Race: People of Japanese or Finish heritage have higher risk of aneurysm rupture.
• Older age: People older than 70 are at higher risk of aneurysm rupture.

People who have multiple brain aneurysms or who’ve had a previous aneurysm bleed are at the highest risk of a brain aneurysm rupture.

How are brain aneurysms diagnosed?

Most people with an unruptured brain aneurysm don’t know they have one. A healthcare provider may find one during an imaging test of your brain, such as an MRI or CT scan that you got for a different medical reason.

If you have symptoms of a brain aneurysm, such as a severe headache, call 911 or go to the emergency room. A healthcare provider will order tests to see if a brain aneurysm has ruptured. These tests may include:

• CT (computed tomography) scan: This is often the first imaging test a provider will order to see if blood has leaked into your brain. A CT scan uses X-rays and computers to produce images of a cross-section of your body. Providers may also use a CT angiogram (CTA), which produces more detailed images of blood flow in your brain’s arteries. CTA can show the size, location and shape of an unruptured or ruptured aneurysm.
• MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan: MRI uses a large magnet, radio waves and a computer to produce detailed images of your brain. Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) produces detailed images of your brain’s arteries and can show the size, location and shape of an aneurysm.
• Cerebral angiography: This is a procedure in which a neurosurgeon or an interventional neuroradiologist inserts a catheter into a blood vessel in your groin or wrist. They thread it to your brain to take more accurate images of the arteries in your neck and brain. This imaging test can find blockages in arteries in your brain or neck. It also can identify weak spots in an artery, like an aneurysm. Providers use this test to determine the cause of bleeding in your brain and the exact location, size and shape of an aneurysm.
• Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis: This test measures the substances in the fluid that surrounds and protects your brain and spinal cord (cerebrospinal fluid). A provider collects a CSF sample by performing a spinal tap (lumbar puncture). The analysis can detect bleeding around your brain.

How are brain aneurysms treated?

The main goal of brain aneurysm treatment is to stop or reduce the flow of blood into the aneurysm. A leaking or ruptured brain aneurysm requires emergency surgery. You may or may not need treatment for an unruptured aneurysm depending on your circumstances.

Your healthcare team will recommend the best treatment option(s) for you based on your vascular anatomy, aneurysm size and location and several other factors.

In general, recovery takes longer for ruptured aneurysms than for unruptured aneurysms.

Microvascular clipping for brain aneurysms

During this surgery, a neurosurgeon cuts a small opening in your skull to access the aneurysm. Using a tiny microscope and instruments, the neurosurgeon attaches a small metal clip at the base of the aneurysm to pinch it off. This blocks blood from flowing into the aneurysm. The surgery can stop a brain bleed or keep an intact aneurysm from enlarging or breaking open.

Recovery time is different for ruptured (several weeks to months) and unruptured (usually two to four weeks) aneurysms. Aneurysms that are completely clipped usually don’t bleed again (recur).

Endovascular coiling for brain aneurysm

For this procedure, a neurosurgeon or an interventional neuroradiologist inserts a catheter (a flexible tube) into a blood vessel, usually in your groin or wrist, and threads it to your brain. Through the catheter, the provider places a tiny coil of soft wire into the aneurysm.

Once the provider releases the coil into the aneurysm, it changes the blood flow pattern within the aneurysm, resulting in a clot. This clot prevents blood from entering the aneurysm, providing a seal in a similar way as a clip.

Flow diversion stents for brain aneurysm

For this procedure, a neurosurgeon or an interventional neuroradiologist inserts a catheter into a blood vessel in your groin or wrist and threads it to your brain. Through the catheter, the provider places a mesh tube in the part of the blood vessel that contains the aneurysm. The mesh encourages or diverts your blood flow away from instead of into the aneurysm.

WEB device for brain aneurysm

For this procedure, a neurosurgeon or an interventional neuroradiologist inserts a catheter into a blood vessel in your groin or wrist and threads it to your brain. Through the catheter, the provider places a metal mesh-like cube or sphere into the aneurysm. This works similar to a coil, as it provides a seal-like effect on the aneurysm, not allowing blood into it anymore to prevent it from enlarging or rupturing.

Additional treatments for a ruptured brain aneurysm

If you have a ruptured aneurysm, your healthcare team will use additional treatments to manage your symptoms and try to prevent complications. These treatments may include:

• Antiseizure medications: These medications can help prevent seizures related to a ruptured aneurysm.
• Calcium channel blockers: These medications can help reduce your risk of stroke due to vasospasm.
• Shunt: This is a tube that helps drain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from your brain to somewhere else in your body. It can help prevent hydrocephalus.

People who have a ruptured aneurysm often need physical, speech and occupational therapy to regain function and learn new ways to function with any permanent disability.

Do I need treatment for an unruptured brain aneurysm?

If you have a small unruptured brain aneurysm that isn’t causing symptoms and you don’t have other relevant risk factors, your healthcare provider may recommend not treating it.

Instead, your provider will order regular imaging tests to monitor it for any changes or growth over time. They’ll also recommend you quit smoking (if you smoke) and make sure your blood pressure is well managed.

You’ll need to get help right away if you develop symptoms or if the aneurysm changes on follow-up imaging.

If you have symptoms, positive risk factors and/or the aneurysm is large, you and your healthcare provider will discuss the benefits, risks and alternatives of surgical and/or endovascular treatment. The decision depends on several factors, including but not limited to your:

• Age.
• Overall health and your medical conditions.
• Aneurysm location, size and other characteristics.
• Vascular anatomy.
• Family history.
• Risk of a rupture.

What is the prognosis for a ruptured brain aneurysm?

The prognosis (outlook) for a ruptured brain aneurysm depends on several factors, including:

• Your age and overall health.
• If you have preexisting neurological conditions.
• The location of the aneurysm.
• How much the aneurysm bled.
• How quickly you received treatment.
• If the treatment of the aneurysm was successful.

About 25% of people who experience a brain aneurysm rupture die within 24 hours. Around 50% of people die within three months of the rupture due to complications.

Of those who survive, about 66% experience permanent brain damage. Some people recover with little or no disability.

Can you live a long life with a brain aneurysm?

Many people who have a small unruptured brain aneurysm never develop symptoms and it doesn’t affect their health.

However, the mortality rate of ruptured brain aneurysms is very high.

How can I reduce my risk of developing an aneurysm?

You can’t prevent or change certain brain aneurysm risk factors, like your age or genetic conditions. But you can lower your risk of developing a brain aneurysm by:

• Maintaining healthy blood pressure with medications and/or lifestyle changes.
• Not smoking or quitting smoking.
• Getting help for alcohol use disorder and/or substance use disorder and not using cocaine or other stimulants.

When should I see my healthcare provider about a brain aneurysm?

If you have an unruptured brain aneurysm, you’ll need to see your healthcare provider regularly to monitor the size of the aneurysm and to manage any contributing risk factors, like high blood pressure.

If you’ve had a ruptured brain aneurysm, you’ll need to see your healthcare team regularly to monitor any complications and to make sure you don’t develop another aneurysm.

A note from QBan Health Care Services

A sudden, severe headache with or without stroke symptoms could be a sign of a brain aneurysm. Call 911 or go to an emergency room if you’re having these symptoms. The sooner you can get medical attention, the greater your chance of survival. If you have an unruptured brain aneurysm, talk with your healthcare provider about the risks and benefits of different treatment and management options. They’re available to help you.

An aneurysm is a bulge in the wall of an artery. Aneurysms form when there’s a weak area in the artery wall. Untreated aneurysms can burst open, leading to internal bleeding. They can also cause blood clots that block the flow of blood in your artery. Depending on the location of the aneurysm, a rupture or clot can be life-threatening.

What is an aneurysm?

An aneurysm is a weak or expanded part of an artery, like a bulge in a balloon. Your arteries are large blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood from your heart to other parts of your body. If an area in an artery wall weakens, the force of blood pumping through can result in a bulge or aneurysm.

Aneurysms usually aren’t painful. You might not know you have one unless it ruptures or bursts. If it does, it can be very dangerous or even fatal.

What are the different types of aneurysms?

An aneurysm can form in any of the arteries in your body. Aneurysms can occur in your heart, abdomen, brain or legs. The location determines the type of aneurysm.

Aortic aneurysms are by far the most common. They form in your aorta, your body’s largest artery. Your aorta carries blood out of your heart. Aneurysms that develop in arteries other than your aorta are called peripheral aneurysms.

Types of aneurysms include:

• Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA): Abdominal aortic aneurysms may form where your aorta carries blood into your abdomen (belly).
• Cerebral aneurysms: Also called brain aneurysms, these aneurysms affect an artery in your brain. A saccular (or berry) aneurysm is the most common type of cerebral aneurysm. It forms as a sac of blood attached to an artery. It looks like a round berry attached to the artery.
• Thoracic aortic aneurysm: These aneurysms are less common than AAAs. Thoracic aortic aneurysms form in the upper part of your aorta, in your chest.
• Carotid aneurysm: Carotid artery aneurysms form in your carotid arteries. These blood vessels bring blood to your brain, neck and face. Carotid aneurysms are rare.
• Popliteal aneurysm: These develop in the artery that runs behind your knees.
• Mesenteric artery aneurysm: This type of aneurysm forms in the artery that brings blood to your intestine.
• Splenic artery aneurysm: These aneurysms develop in an artery in your spleen.

How common are aneurysms?

Unruptured brain aneurysms affect 2% to 5% of healthy people, and about 25% of them have multiple aneurysms. Most brain aneurysms develop in adulthood, but they can also occur in children with mean age of detection around 50 years. The vast majority of brain aneurysms don’t rupture.

Aortic aneurysms become more prevalent with age. Abdominal aortic aneurysms are four to six times more common in males than females. They affect only about 1% of males aged 55 to 64. But the incidence increases by 2% to 4% with every decade.

Who is at risk for an aneurysm?

Different types of aneurysms affect different groups. Brain aneurysms affect females more than males. Aortic aneurysms more often affect males.

Abdominal aortic aneurysms occur most often in people who are:

• Males.
• Over the age of 60.
• Smokers.
• White, although they affect people of any race.

What are the symptoms of an aneurysm?

In many cases, people don’t know they have an aneurysm. If an aneurysm ruptures (bursts), it’s a medical emergency that requires immediate treatment. Call 911 if you or someone you’re with shows signs of a ruptured aneurysm. Symptoms of a ruptured aneurysm come on suddenly. You may feel:

• Lightheaded.
• Rapid heartbeat.
• Sudden, severe pain in your head, chest, abdomen or back.
• Sudden loss of consciousness following a severe headache.

When an aneurysm causes symptoms, the signs depend on its location. You might notice signs of shock, such as a drop in blood pressure, feeling clammy and “out of it,” and having a pounding heart. Other symptoms of an aneurysm can include:

• Confusion or dizziness.
• Difficulty swallowing.
• Fatigue.
• Headache.
• Nausea or vomiting.
• Pain in your abdomen, chest or back.
• Pulsating abdominal mass or swelling in your neck.
• Rapid heart rate.
• Vision changes.

What are the complications of an aneurysm?

If an aneurysm ruptures, it causes internal bleeding. Depending on the location of the aneurysm, a rupture can be very dangerous or life-threatening. An aneurysm in your neck can cause a blood clot that travels to your brain. If the clot cuts off blood flow to your brain, it causes a stroke. When a brain aneurysm ruptures, it causes a subarachnoid hemorrhage. Some people call this type of stroke a brain bleed. Typically people have what they call the worst headache of their life and then develop other symptoms like limb weakness, headache and trouble speaking.

What causes an aneurysm?

In some cases, people are born with aneurysms. They can also develop at any point during your life. Although the cause of an aneurysm is often unknown, some possible causes include:

• Atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries).
• Family history of aneurysms.
• High blood pressure.
• Injury to your aorta.

How is an aneurysm diagnosed?

Many aneurysms develop without causing symptoms. Your healthcare provider may discover it by accident during a routine checkup or other screening.

If you have symptoms that may indicate an aneurysm, your provider will do imaging tests. Imaging tests that can find and help diagnose an aneurysm include:

• CT scan.
• CT or MRI angiography.
• Ultrasound.

How will my healthcare provider classify an aneurysm?

Your provider will classify an aneurysm by how large it is and how it forms. The different classifications include:

• Fusiform aneurysm bulges out on all sides of your artery.
• Saccular aneurysm causes just one side of your artery to bulge.
• Mycotic aneurysm develops after an infection (typically in your heart valves) has weakened an artery wall.
• Pseudoaneurysm or false aneurysm occurs when just the outer layer of your artery wall expands. This can occur after injury to the inner layer of your artery called dissection.

How is an aneurysm treated?

If your provider discovers that you have an unruptured aneurysm, they’ll monitor your condition closely. The goal of treatment is to prevent the aneurysm from bursting.

Depending on the aneurysm’s type, location and size, treatment can include medication or surgery. Your provider may prescribe medications to improve blood flow, lower blood pressure or control cholesterol. These treatments can help slow aneurysm growth and reduce pressure on the artery wall.

Large aneurysms at risk of bursting may require surgery. You’ll also need surgery if an aneurysm bursts. Types of surgery may include:

• Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR): During endovascular surgery, your provider inserts a catheter (thin tube) into the vessel. Through the catheter, the surgeon inserts a graft (section of specialized tubing) to reinforce or repair the artery. For thoracic aneurysms, this procedure is called thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair (TEVAR). If your surgeon has to make a special graft with custom openings, the procedure may be fenestrated endovascular aneurysm repair (FEVAR).
• Open surgery: In some cases, a surgeon may perform the graft or remove the aneurysm through an incision (open surgery).
• Endovascular coiling: This procedure treats cerebral aneurysms. The surgeon inserts multiple coils (a spiral of platinum wire) through a catheter to pack the aneurysm. This reduces blood flow to the aneurysm and eliminates the risk of rupture.
• Microvascular clipping: This type of open brain surgery treats cerebral aneurysms. The surgeon places a metal clip at the base of the aneurysm to cut off blood supply.
• Catheter embolization: This procedure cuts off blood supply to the aneurysm. The surgeon inserts a catheter into the affected artery, using the tube to place medication or embolic agents that prevent bleeding.

What is the prognosis (outlook) for people with an aneurysm?

Ruptured aneurysms are a life-threatening emergency. When an aneurysm ruptures in your brain, it causes a stroke. Without immediate treatment, it can be fatal. If you get treatment right away, the outcomes can vary. Many people recover well with rehabilitation and other care.

Healthcare providers usually can help you manage smaller, unruptured aneurysms. Your provider will monitor your condition closely. Medication or surgery can minimize the risk of rupture.

How can I prevent an aneurysm?

Unruptured aneurysms are common. You can’t always prevent them. But you can reduce your risk of developing an aneurysm by maintaining a healthy lifestyle:

• Eat a heart-healthy diet.
• Exercise regularly.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Avoid or quit smoking.

When should I call the doctor?

You should call your healthcare provider if you experience:

• Lightheadedness.
• Rapid heart rate.
• Sudden, severe pain in your head, chest, abdomen or back.

What questions should I ask my doctor?

You may want to ask your healthcare provider:

• Am I at risk for developing an aneurysm?
• Should I have imaging tests to look for aneurysms?
• How can I prevent an aneurysm from getting worse or rupturing?
• What lifestyle changes can I make to reduce my risk?

A note from QBan Health Care Services

An aneurysm can occur in any of the arteries in your body. Your provider can monitor and treat an aneurysm to reduce the risk of it bursting. If an aneurysm does rupture, it’s a medical emergency. You need to seek medical attention immediately.

Venous disease is any disease that affects your veins. Veins play an important role in circulating your blood through your body. They carry blood back to your heart. But when something weakens or damages a vein, it doesn’t work the way it should. Various treatments can help, and there are things you can do to help yourself.

What is venous disease?

Venous disease is any condition that affects the veins in your body. Veins are flexible, hollow tubes that are part of the circulatory system that moves blood through your body. Veins bring oxygen-poor blood back to your heart, which pumps your blood. Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood away from your heart.

Veins have flaps (valves) inside that open when your muscles contract. This allows blood to move through your veins. When your muscles relax, the valves close, keeping blood flowing in one direction.

If venous disease damages the valves inside your veins, the valves may not close completely. This lets blood leak backward or flow in both directions.

Types of venous disease

Venous diseases include:

• Blood clots: These can happen in your legs, arms, veins of your internal organs (kidney, spleen, intestines, liver and pelvic organs), in your brain (cerebral vein thrombosis), in your kidneys (renal vein thrombosis), or in your lungs (pulmonary embolism).
• Deep vein thrombosis (DVT): This is a blood clot that occurs in a deep vein (including arms and legs). Deep vein thrombosis itself isn’t life-threatening. However, the blood clot has the potential to break free and travel through the bloodstream, where it can stick in your lung’s blood vessels and become a pulmonary embolism. This can be a life-threatening condition.
• Superficial thrombophlebitis: This is a blood clot that develops in a vein close to the surface of your skin. These types of blood clots don’t usually travel to your lungs unless they move from your superficial system into your deep venous system first. Typically, however, they cause pain.
• Chronic venous insufficiency: This condition causes pooling of blood, chronic leg swelling, increased pressure, increased pigmentation or discoloration of your skin, and leg ulcers known as venous stasis ulcers.
• Varicose and spider veins: These are abnormal, dilated blood vessels that happen because of weakening in your blood vessel wall.
• Venous ulcers: Ulcers are wounds or open sores that won’t heal or keep returning. Venous stasis ulcers most commonly occur below your knee, on the inner part of your leg, just above your ankle.
• Arteriovenous fistulas: These are arteries and veins that connect to each other directly, with nothing in between. This is abnormal.

How common is venous disease?

Venous disease affects more than 30 million people in the United States. Researchers predict even more people will have it in the future. With people living longer and weighing more, they’re more likely to get venous disease.

About 1 million cases of venous thromboembolism happened in 2010 in the U.S. By 2050, that number may reach 1.8 million.

Roughly 33% of adults have varicose veins.

About 1% of adults have venous leg ulcers.

What are the symptoms?

Venous disease symptoms include these issues in your legs or arms:

• Pain, cramping or discomfort.
• Redness or warmth.
• Heaviness.
• Itching or burning feeling.
• Swelling.
• Bulging veins.

What causes venous disease?

Venous disease causes include:

• Issues with how your veins formed when you were born.
• Injury.
• Other venous diseases.
• Weak blood vessel walls because of pregnancy, aging, cysts or tumors.
• High blood pressure.

What are the risk factors for venous disease?

Risk factors for venous disease include:

• Family history of venous disease.
• Pregnancy.
• Having a BMI (body mass index) greater than 30.
• Being female.
• Sitting or standing for long periods of time.
• Taking birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy.
• Using tobacco products.

What are the complications of venous disease?

Certain venous diseases can lead to other issues.

• Superficial thrombophlebitis: Deep vein thrombosis.
• Deep vein thrombosis: Chronic venous insufficiency or pulmonary embolism.
• Pulmonary embolism: Pulmonary hypertension.
• Varicose veins: Superficial thrombophlebitis or venous ulcers.
• Venous ulcers: Infections, like gangrene.

How is venous disease diagnosed?

A healthcare provider will review your medical history, including your family’s medical history. They’ll also do a physical exam and order any tests you may need.

What tests will be done to diagnose venous disease?

Tests to diagnose venous disease include:

• Ankle-brachial index (ABI).
• Ultrasound.
• Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS).
• Computed tomography (CT).
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
• Angiogram.

How is venous disease treated?

Venous disease treatments include:

• Medications.
• Compression stockings or bandages.
• Lifestyles changes, such as eating foods with less fat, exercising more and giving up tobacco products.
• Procedures or surgeries.

Several nonsurgical and surgical treatment options are available for each type of venous disease. The goals of treatment are to reduce symptoms and reduce the risk of complications. Your healthcare provider will recommend the treatment option that’s right for you.

Before choosing any treatment, it’s important to discuss the potential benefits, risks and side effects with your provider. You’ll receive specific guidelines to help you prepare for your procedure, as well as specific instructions to help your recovery.

Specific medicines/procedures used

Medicines and procedures vary, depending on the type of venous disease. Venous disease treatment may include:

• Anticoagulants.
• Thrombolytics.
• Endovenous ablation of varicose veins (with lasers, sclerotherapy or radiofrequency).
• Thrombectomy.
• Vena cava filter.
• Vein surgery.

Complications/side effects of the treatment

Side effects of treatment depend on the type of treatment you have. Your healthcare provider can explain which treatments make sense for the venous disease you have.

How soon after treatment will I feel better?

Your healthcare provider may be able to give you an estimate of how quickly you’ll feel better. Everyone is different, and various methods provide relief at different speeds.

What can I expect if I have venous disease?

Without treatment, venous disease can get worse and impact your quality of life. Receiving treatment will improve these things. While superficial thrombophlebitis goes away in a few weeks, it can take more time to recover from other venous diseases. Some people have chronic venous disease. This means they deal with it long term.

You may need frequent appointments with your provider to make sure you’re managing the venous disease. They may want to redo ultrasounds or retake other tests to compare with earlier test results.

Venous diseases like varicose and spider veins can come back after treatment. Venous ulcers can also happen again.

How can I lower my risk of venous disease?

You can lower your risk of disease by improving the health of your veins and the rest of your cardiovascular (heart and blood vessels) system by:

• Managing high blood pressure, high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes.
• Exercising 30 to 60 minutes or more a day on most days of the week.
• Moving around every hour if you’re sitting and/or traveling.
• Not using tobacco products.
• Staying at a weight that’s healthy for you.
• Eating foods with low salt and saturated fat.
• Managing your stress.

How do I take care of myself?

Whether you’re sitting or standing, walk around every hour. This encourages good blood flow through your body. Avoiding tobacco products is another way to take care of your blood vessels. Ask your healthcare provider for information about programs or products that can help you with this.

When should I see my healthcare provider?

Go to all of your scheduled appointments with your healthcare provider. Contact your provider if you experience changes in your usual symptoms or if they get worse.

When should I go to the ER?

Get immediate help if you’re bleeding too much while taking blood thinners. Also, call 911 or your local emergency number if you have symptoms of a pulmonary embolism, such as:

• Shortness of breath.
• Chest pain.
• Fast heartbeat.
• Cough.
• Bluish skin.

What questions should I ask my doctor?

Questions to ask your provider include:

• How advanced is my venous disease?
• What can I do at home to manage my venous disease?
• Do I need medication or a procedure for my venous disease?
• Are there treatments you can provide in your office?

A note from QBan Health Care Services

Many people have venous diseases, so you’re not alone. Talk with your provider about your condition and how you can manage it with their help. Learning as much as you can about your specific disease will help you make informed choices about your treatment and how to care for yourself.

Vasculitis is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in your blood vessels. The swelling makes it hard for blood to flow through your affected vessels, which can cause organ and tissue damage. Most people can manage their symptoms with medication.

What is vasculitis?

Vasculitis is a condition that causes inflammation (swelling) in your blood vessels.

Blood vessels are channels that carry blood throughout your body. They form a circuit that begins and ends at your heart. You have three types of blood vessels:

• Arteries: Arteries carry blood away from your heart to the rest of your body.
• Veins: Veins carry blood back to your heart.
• Capillaries: Capillaries are small blood vessels that connect your arteries and veins together. If you think about your circulatory system like a network of highways, capillaries are the on-ramps and exits that help your blood move along its route from your heart through your body and back.

If you have vasculitis, your blood vessels swell and thicken. This makes it harder for blood to flow through them. Over time, the inflammation can damage your organs and cause serious complications like aneurysms.

Most people with vasculitis can manage their symptoms with medication. But vasculitis can be fatal if you experience severe symptoms that affect blood flow to your organs.

Visit a healthcare provider if you experience symptoms like fever or feel numbness or tingling in your hands or feet. Call 911 (or your local emergency number) or go to the emergency room if you’re having trouble breathing or experiencing heart attack symptoms.

How does vasculitis affect my body?

Vasculitis can affect any blood vessel in your body, including the ones that are connected to your:

• Skin.
• Lungs.
• Heart.
• Nerves.
• Eyes.
• Kidneys.
• Brain.
• Sinuses.
• Stomach.
• Hands and feet.

How common is vasculitis?

Vasculitis is rare. Experts estimate fewer than 50 out of every million people in the U.S. develop it each year.

People older than 50 are more likely to develop vasculitis, but it’s still rare. Experts estimate that fewer than 300 people in one million people older than 50 in the U.S. are diagnosed with vasculitis each year.

Types of vasculitis

There are more than 30 types of vasculitis. A healthcare provider might diagnose you with a specific kind of vasculitis based on which of your blood vessels are affected.

Some types of vasculitis include:

• ANCA-associated vasculitis, including granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) and eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA).
• Polyarteritis nodosa.
• IgA vasculitis (Henoch-Schönlein purpura).
• Rheumatoid vasculitis.
• Central nervous system vasculitis.
• Giant cell arteritis.
• Takayasu arteritis.
• Behçet’s disease.
• Urticarial vasculitis.
• Kawasaki disease.
• Vasculitis in children.

What are vasculitis symptoms?

Some of the most common vasculitis symptoms include:

• Trouble breathing.
• Coughing.
• Numbness or tingling, especially in your hands and feet.
• Rashes, bumps or areas of discoloration on your skin.
• Fever.
• Fatigue or a general feeling of being sick.
• Weight loss.
• Weakness.
• Joint pain.
• Abdominal (stomach) pain.
• Kidney problems (including dark pee or blood in your pee).
• Strokes.

Which symptoms you experience depends on which blood vessels are affected and how severe the inflammation is.

Listen to your body and trust your instincts. Visit a healthcare provider if you notice any changes or symptoms that make you feel worried or uncomfortable.

What causes vasculitis?

Vasculitis is an autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases are the result of your immune system accidentally attacking your body instead of protecting it. Experts aren’t sure what makes your immune system attack your blood vessels and cause vasculitis.

Some heath conditions that cause inflammation in your body can trigger vasculitis. Some people develop vasculitis with no cause or trigger (developing it idiopathically).

Some triggers of vasculitis include:

• Infections.
• Other autoimmune diseases.
• As a side effect of some drugs and medications.
• Some types of cancer.

How is vasculitis diagnosed?

A healthcare provider will diagnose vasculitis with a physical exam and tests. They’ll ask you about your symptoms and when you first noticed them.

Diagnosing vasculitis is usually part of a differential diagnosis for other conditions. This means your provider will probably use a few tests to determine what’s causing your symptoms before diagnosing you with vasculitis. Some tests you might need include:

• Biopsies.
• Blood tests.
• Tests that check the function of your affected organs.
• Angiograms.

You’ll probably need to see a rheumatologist — a healthcare provider who specializes in treating inflammatory diseases.

How is vasculitis treated?

Your provider will suggest treatments that manage the symptoms you’re experiencing. They’ll help you find treatments that prevent damage to your blood vessels and organs. Some medications your provider might prescribe include:

• Corticosteroids.
• Immunosuppressants or biologics.
• ACE inhibitors.

Vasculitis surgery

You might need surgery if vasculitis damages your blood vessels. Your provider or surgeon will tell you which type of surgery you’ll need and what to expect.

Is vasculitis curable?

There’s no cure for vasculitis. Once you find treatments that manage your symptoms well, you might enter remission — long periods of time between episodes of symptoms. Some people are in remission for months or years before experiencing symptoms again.

What can I expect if I have vasculitis?

You should expect to manage vasculitis for a long time, maybe for the rest of your life. Even if you don’t have severe symptoms, you’ll need to see a provider regularly to monitor any changes in your blood vessels. Ask your provider how often you need follow-up appointments and tests.

Even if you enter remission, there’s always a chance vasculitis will cause symptoms again in the future.

How can I prevent vasculitis?

You can’t prevent vasculitis because experts don’t know what causes it. There’s no way to know if someone will develop it.

How do I take care of myself?

Monitor your symptoms and keep track of any changes you notice. Follow the treatment plan you worked on with your provider. Don’t hesitate to visit them if you think a treatment isn’t working (or isn’t as effective as it used to be).

When should I see my healthcare provider?

See your provider if you notice new symptoms, or if your symptoms are getting more severe.

Your provider will tell you how often you’ll need regular follow-up appointments, blood tests or additional screenings.

Go to the emergency room or call 911 (or your local emergency number) if you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms:

• You can’t breathe.
• You feel like you’re having a heart attack.
• Your vision suddenly gets worse or you have vision loss.

What questions should I ask my doctor?

• Which type of vasculitis do I have?
• Which of my blood vessels are affected?
• Which tests will I need?
• Will I need medication?
• Will I need surgery?

A note from QBan Health Care Services

Vasculitis is inflammation in your blood vessels. Even if you only ever experience mild symptoms, you’ll need follow-up visits and appointments with a healthcare provider. They’ll monitor any changes in your blood vessels and make sure vasculitis hasn’t damaged your organs.

Vasculitis can be confusing because it affects everyone differently. Trust your instincts — don’t ignore or downplay new or changing symptoms. Talk to your provider if you have any questions. They’ll help you understand what’s going on inside your body and which treatments you’ll need.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) affect your heart and blood vessels. Almost half of all adults in the U.S. have at least one form of heart disease. You may make lifestyle changes to manage cardiovascular disease or your healthcare provider may prescribe medications. The sooner you detect cardiovascular disease, the easier it is to treat.

What is cardiovascular disease?

Cardiovascular disease is a group of diseases affecting your heart and blood vessels. These diseases can affect one or many parts of your heart and/or blood vessels. A person may be symptomatic (physically experiencing the disease) or asymptomatic (not feeling anything at all).

Cardiovascular disease includes heart or blood vessel issues, including:

• Narrowing of the blood vessels in your heart, other organs or throughout your body.
• Heart and blood vessel problems present at birth.
• Heart valves that aren’t working right.
• Irregular heart rhythms.

How common is cardiovascular disease?

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and in the U.S.

Almost half of adults in the U.S. have some form of cardiovascular disease. It affects people of all ages, sexes, ethnicities and socioeconomic levels. One in three women dies from cardiovascular disease.

What are the symptoms of cardiovascular disease?

Cardiovascular disease symptoms can vary depending on the cause. Older adults and women may have more subtle symptoms. However, they can still have serious cardiovascular disease.

Symptoms of heart issues

• Chest pain (angina).
• Chest pressure, heaviness or discomfort, sometimes described as a “belt around the chest” or a “weight on the chest.”
• Shortness of breath (dyspnea).
• Dizziness or fainting.
• Fatigue or exhaustion.

Symptoms of blockages in blood vessels throughout your body

• Pain or cramps in your legs when you walk.
• Leg sores that aren’t healing.
• Cool or red skin on your legs.
• Swelling in your legs.
• Numbness in your face or a limb. This may be on only one side of your body.
• Difficulty with talking, seeing or walking.

What conditions are cardiovascular diseases?

There are many different types of cardiovascular diseases, including but not limited to:

• Arrhythmia: Problem with your heart’s electrical conduction system, which can lead to abnormal heart rhythms or heart rates.
• Valve disease: Tightening or leaking in your heart valves (structures that allow blood to flow from one chamber to another chamber or blood vessel).
• Coronary artery disease: Problem with your heart’s blood vessels, such as blockages.
• Heart failure: Problem with heart pumping/relaxing functions, leading to fluid buildup and shortness of breath.
• Peripheral artery disease: Issue with the blood vessels of your arms, legs or abdominal organs, such as narrowing or blockages.
• Aortic disease: Problem with the large blood vessel that directs blood from your heart to your brain and the rest of your body, such as dilatation or aneurysm.
• Congenital heart disease: Heart issue that you’re born with, which can affect different parts of your heart.
• Pericardial disease: Problem with the lining of your heart, including pericarditis and pericardial effusion.
• Cerebrovascular disease: Issue with the blood vessels that deliver blood to your brain, such as narrowing or blockages.
• Deep vein thrombosis (DVT): Blockage in your veins, vessels that bring blood back from your brain/body to your heart.

What causes cardiovascular disease?

The causes of cardiovascular disease can vary depending on the specific type. For example, atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in your arteries) causes coronary artery disease and peripheral artery disease. Coronary artery disease, scarring of your heart muscle, genetic problems or medications can cause arrhythmias. Aging, infections and rheumatic disease can cause valve diseases.

What are cardiovascular disease risk factors?

You may be more likely to develop cardiovascular disease if you have risk factors such as:

• High blood pressure (hypertension).
• High cholesterol (hyperlipidemia).
• Tobacco use (including vaping).
• Type 2 diabetes.
• Family history of heart disease.
• Lack of physical activity.
• Having excess weight or obesity.
• Diet high in sodium, sugar and fat.
• Overuse of alcohol.
• Misuse of prescription or recreational drugs.
• Preeclampsia or toxemia.
• Gestational diabetes.
• Chronic inflammatory or autoimmune conditions.
• Chronic kidney disease.

How is cardiovascular disease diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider will perform a physical exam and ask questions about your symptoms, personal health and family health history. They may also order tests to help diagnose cardiovascular disease.

What tests might I have for cardiovascular disease?

Some common tests to diagnose cardiovascular disease include:

• Blood work measures substances that indicate cardiovascular health, such as cholesterol, blood sugar levels and specific proteins. A provider can use a blood test to check for blood clotting issues as well.
• Ankle brachial index (ABI) compares the blood pressure in your ankles and arms to diagnose peripheral artery disease.
• Electrocardiogram (EKG) records your heart’s electrical activity.
• Ambulatory monitoring uses wearable devices that track your heart rhythm and rates.
• Echocardiogram uses sound waves to create an image of your heartbeat and blood flow.
• Ultrasound uses sound waves to check blood flow in your legs or neck.
• Cardiac computerized tomography (CT) uses X-rays and computer processing to create 3D images of your heart and blood vessels.
• Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses magnets and radio waves to create highly detailed images of your heart.
• MR angiogram or CT angiogram uses an MRI or CT, respectively, to see blood vessels in your legs, head and neck.
• Stress tests analyze how physical activity affects your heart in a controlled setting, using exercise or medications, to determine how your heart responds. This type of test can involve EKGs and/or imaging tests.
• Cardiac catheterization uses a catheter (thin, hollow tube) to measure pressure and blood flow in your heart.

How is cardiovascular disease treated?

Treatment plans can vary depending on your symptoms and the type of cardiovascular disease you have. Cardiovascular disease treatment may include:

• Lifestyle changes: Examples include changing your diet, increasing your aerobic activity and quitting smoking or tobacco products (including vaping).
• Medications: Your healthcare provider may prescribe medications to help manage cardiovascular disease. Medication type will depend on what kind of cardiovascular disease you have.
• Procedures or surgeries: If medications aren’t enough, your healthcare provider may use certain procedures or surgeries to treat your cardiovascular disease. Examples include stents in your heart or leg arteries, minimally invasive heart surgery, open-heart surgery, ablations or cardioversion.
• Cardiac rehabilitation:You may need a monitored exercise program to help your heart get stronger.
• Active surveillance: You may need careful monitoring over time without medications or procedures/surgeries.

What is the outlook for people with cardiovascular disease?

Many people enjoy a high quality of life and can manage their cardiovascular disease with the help of their healthcare team. Your chances for a positive outcome are higher if you engage in your healthcare and follow your provider’s treatment plan. It’s important to take medications exactly as prescribed.

Does cardiovascular disease increase my risk of other conditions?

Untreated cardiovascular disease can lead to serious complications.

If you have cardiovascular disease, you may have a higher risk of:

• Heart attack.
• Stroke.
• Acute limb ischemia (sudden blockage in your leg arteries).
• Aortic dissection.
• Sudden cardiac death.

How can I prevent cardiovascular disease?

You can’t prevent some types of cardiovascular disease, such as congenital heart disease. But lifestyle changes can reduce your risk of many types of cardiovascular disease.

You can reduce your cardiovascular risks by:

• Avoiding all tobacco products.
• Managing other health conditions, such as Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure.
• Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.
• Eating a diet low in saturated fat and sodium.
• Exercising at least 30 to 60 minutes per day on most days.
• Reducing and managing stress.

When should I see my healthcare provider?

Cardiovascular disease is often easier to treat when healthcare providers catch it early. That’s why it’s important to see a primary care provider every year. They can detect cardiovascular issues before symptoms start. If you have any signs of cardiovascular disease, you should see your provider immediately.

Call 911 or seek emergency medical attention if you experience sudden:

• Chest pain, pressure, heaviness or discomfort, especially with exertion.
• Fainting (syncope).
• Severe shortness of breath, especially if it’s new or progressive.
• Pain or numbness in your arms/legs.
• Ripping or tearing back pain.

A note from QBan Health Care Services

Cardiovascular diseases are conditions that affect your heart and blood vessels. Without appropriate treatment, heart disease can lead to heart attacks or strokes. You can make lifestyle changes or take medications to manage cardiovascular disease. Earlier diagnosis can help with effective treatment. Many people live a full and active life with a cardiovascular disease.

Circulatory system diseases affect your heart and blood vessels and make it harder for blood to flow throughout your body. Some conditions have symptoms, but others are silent. Common symptoms include chest pain, edema, heart palpitations and shortness of breath.

What are circulatory system diseases?

Circulatory system diseases are any conditions that affect your heart or blood vessels. Your circulatory system, also called your cardiovascular system, keeps blood moving in your body. Your heart and your blood vessels work together to supply oxygen-rich blood to all of your organs and tissues. This requires complex teamwork. But as with any team, if one player gets sick and can’t play, the whole team feels the effect.

That’s why it’s important to learn about circulatory system diseases. A problem with one part of your circulatory system can have a ripple effect on your entire system and, ultimately, your whole body.

Overall, circulatory system diseases can cause a range of issues, including:

• Problems with your heart’s pumping action.
• Changes to your heart’s structure.
• Inefficient blood flow.
• Blocked or narrowed blood vessels.
• Weakened blood vessels.

Circulatory system diseases may come on suddenly or develop gradually over years.

Learning about every possible condition that could affect your circulatory system would take a long time. But it’s useful to learn the basics about several broad types of circulatory system diseases. Knowing the types of things that can go wrong can help you notice symptoms and understand treatment options.

Talk with your healthcare provider if you think you have a circulatory system disease.

What diseases affect the circulatory system?

Scientists organize diseases that affect your circulatory system into two large categories:

• Cardiovascular diseases, which affect your heart and/or blood vessels.
• Vascular diseases, which affect your blood vessels.

Both categories include many different diseases and conditions. Here are some common ones that may have already impacted you or a loved one.

Aneurysms

Aneurysms are weak spots in the walls of your arteries that can expand like a balloon. As they continue to get bigger, they’re at risk for rupture (breaking open) or causing blood clots. Aneurysms can occur in any artery.

Most often, they occur in your aorta, which is the largest artery in your body. These are known as aortic aneurysms, and there are two main types:

• Thoracic aortic aneurysms, which develop in the part of your aorta that’s in your chest.
• Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), which develop in the part of your aorta that’s in your belly. These are more common than thoracic aortic aneurysms.

Other aneurysms include:

• Cerebral (brain) aneurysms, which form in the arteries in your brain.
• Carotid aneurysms, which form in your carotid arteries, which are in your neck.
• Mesenteric artery aneurysms, which form in the arteries in your belly that supply your intestines.
• Popliteal aneurysms, which form in your popliteal artery in your leg.
• Splenic artery aneurysms, which form in an artery in your spleen.

Arrhythmias

An arrhythmia is an irregular or abnormal heartbeat. Some begin in the upper chambers of your heart (atria). These are called supraventricular arrhythmias. Atrial fibrillation is the most common type.

Others begin in the lower chambers of your heart (ventricles). These are called ventricular arrhythmias. One type, ventricular fibrillation, is a life-threatening medical emergency because it leads to sudden death.

Arrhythmias prevent your heart from contracting and relaxing normally. As a result, your heart can’t pump blood as well as it should.

Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is the buildup of plaque in your arteries. Over time, the plaque narrows your arteries and makes it harder for blood to flow through. The plaque is also dangerous because it can rupture and trigger a blood clot.

Atherosclerosis raises your risk of other diseases, including:

• Carotid artery stenosis: Plaque buildup in the arteries in your neck that supply blood to your brain.
• Coronary artery disease (CAD): Plaque buildup in the arteries that supply blood to your heart. CAD is the most common cause of a heart attack.
• Peripheral artery disease. Plaque buildup in the arteries that run through your arms and legs.

Blood pressure conditions

Your blood pressure is a number that shows how forcefully blood flows through your blood vessels. Your blood pressure normally changes during the day and adjusts to your activity level. But blood pressure that’s too high or too low can be dangerous.

Blood pressure conditions include:

• Hypertension: High blood pressure throughout the arteries in your body. This is what people usually mean when they say “high blood pressure.” Hypertension is known as a silent killer because it often has no symptoms but it can, over time, lead to many health problems.
• Hypotension: Low blood pressure throughout your body.
• Portal hypertension: High blood pressure in the vein that carries blood from your intestines to your liver.
• Pulmonary hypertension: High blood pressure in the arteries that carry blood from your heart to your lungs.

Cardiomyopathy

Cardiomyopathy is a group of conditions that affect your heart muscle, leading to weakened heart squeeze. These conditions harm your heart’s ability to pump blood. Specific types of cardiomyopathy include:

• Dilated cardiomyopathy: Your heart chambers get bigger.
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: Your heart muscle gets thicker.
• Peripartum cardiomyopathy: Your heart weakens late in pregnancy or soon after delivery.

Congenital heart disease

Congenital heart disease refers to heart problems babies are born with. Congenital heart disease is sometimes heritable (passed down within biological families). Other times, it occurs in people with no family history. Nearly 1 in 100 people have some form of congenital heart disease.

Types of congenital heart disease include:

• Atrial septal defect and ventricular septal defect: A “hole in the heart,” located between the left and right sides of your baby’s heart.
• Bicuspid aortic valve: An aortic valve with two flaps instead of three.
• Coarctation of the aorta: Narrowing in one part of your baby’s aorta.
• Dextro-Transposition of the great arteries (d-TGA): Pulmonary artery and aorta are switched.
• Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS): An underdeveloped left side of your baby’s heart.
• Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA): An opening between your baby’s aorta and the pulmonary artery that should’ve closed at birth.
• Pulmonary atresia: Missing or blocked pulmonary valve.
• Tetralogy of Fallot: A combination of four defects that prevent your baby from getting enough oxygen-rich blood.
• Tricuspid atresia: Missing tricuspid valve.
• Truncus arteriosus: Only one artery carries blood out of your baby’s heart, instead of two (aorta and pulmonary artery).

Heart failure

Heart failure happens when your heart can’t pump blood as well as it should. So, your organs can’t get enough oxygen. Heart failure has many causes and is associated with many other medical conditions. Over 6 million people in the U.S. have heart failure.

Heart failure is a progressive disease, meaning it gets worse over time. The later stages are called “congestive heart failure.” This involves fluid buildup (congestion) in different parts of your body.

Heart valve disease

Heart valve disease can affect any of your four heart valves. These are the doors that separate different parts of your heart and manage blood flow. A diseased valve strains your heart. Over time, this can lead to complications like heart failure or sudden cardiac death.

The most common valve diseases among adults in the U.S. are:

• Mitral valve regurgitation: Your mitral valve is leaky, causing some blood to flow backward.
• Aortic valve stenosis: Your aortic valve is too narrow, limiting how much blood can flow through.
• Aortic valve regurgitation: Your aortic valve is leaky.

High cholesterol

We all need to have some lipids (fats) in our blood. Fats do important work in our bodies. But too many fats in your blood can be dangerous. This condition is known as high cholesterol (hyperlipidemia). High cholesterol can raise your risk of many other medical conditions.

Familial hypercholesterolemia is high cholesterol that’s passed down within biological families. People with this condition have very high LDL (bad cholesterol) levels. This raises their risk of coronary artery disease and heart attacks. They’re also more likely to face these complications at a younger age.

Stroke

A stroke is a life-threatening emergency that needs immediate medical attention. It happens when blood flow to your brain gets interrupted. There are several types of stroke:

• Ischemic stroke: A blood clot blocks an artery leading to your brain.
• Hemorrhagic stroke: There’s bleeding in your brain (sometimes, from a ruptured blood vessel or head injury), which blocks brain cells from receiving blood.
• Transient ischemic attack (TIA): A blood clot temporarily blocks blood flow to your brain, causing a “mini stroke.” A TIA is usually a warning sign before an ischemic stroke.

Vasculitis

Vasculitis is an inflammation of your blood vessels caused by an overactive immune system. Vasculitis can affect your veins, arteries or capillaries. This inflammation can narrow or block your blood vessel. It can also weaken your blood vessel and cause an aneurysm.

Venous disease

Venous diseases are a group of conditions that affect your veins. Your veins carry oxygen-poor blood back to your heart. Diseases that affect your veins can slow down your blood flow or make blood flow in the wrong direction. Severe venous disease can completely block blood flow.

Common venous diseases include:

• Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI): Your leg veins struggle to pump blood back up to your heart. This causes blood to collect in your leg veins.
• Deep vein thrombosis (DVT): A blood clot forms in one of your deep veins (veins that aren’t near the surface of your skin). If the clot breaks free, it can travel to your lungs and cause a life-threatening pulmonary embolism.

What are the common symptoms of circulatory system diseases?

Symptoms vary widely depending on the specific disease. Some symptoms of circulatory system diseases are what healthcare providers call “non-specific.” That means they could signal many possible medical problems.

So, it’s important to tell your provider about any and all symptoms you’re experiencing. They’ll investigate what’s wrong and run tests if needed. Some common symptoms include:

• Angina (chest pain with exertion).
• Dizziness.
• Dyspnea (shortness of breath).
• Edema (swelling, most commonly in your legs).
• Fainting.
• Fatigue.
• Heart palpitations (an irregular or forceful heartbeat).

It’s also important to be aware of symptoms that could signal medical emergencies. Learn the symptoms of the following conditions and share this information with your loved ones:

• Aneurysm rupture or dissection.
• Heart attack.
• Pulmonary embolism.
• Stroke and mini stroke.
• Ventricular fibrillation.

What are common treatments for circulatory system diseases?

Common treatments include medications, procedures and surgery.

Many different medications treat circulatory system diseases. Common ones include:

• ACE inhibitors: Treat high blood pressure, heart failure and more.
• Anticoagulants: Help prevent blood clots. Lower your risk for heart attacks, strokes and pulmonary emboli.
• Beta-blockers: Treat a wide range of heart and circulatory problems.
• Calcium channel blockers: Treat high blood pressure, arrhythmias and more.
• Diuretics: Remove extra fluid from your body (also called “water pill”). Commonly treat high blood pressure, cardiomyopathy and heart failure.
• Statins: Lower your cholesterol and lower the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Some conditions require procedures or surgeries. Thanks to advances in technology, many methods are available. These include:

• Heart surgery.
• Minimally invasive heart surgery.
• Percutaneous coronary intervention (coronary angioplasty).

How can I prevent disease of the circulatory system?

One of the most important ways to prevent circulatory system diseases is to visit your healthcare provider for annual checkups. Many people have risk factors they don’t even know about. Your provider can catch problems early before they become more serious.

Dietary changes and lifestyle changes can also help you prevent circulatory system diseases. These include:

• Follow a heart-healthy diet.
• Build aerobic exercise into your daily routine.
• Avoid smoking, tobacco use and street drugs.

Talk with your provider about changes that are healthy for you. Be sure to check with them before starting any new exercise plan.

A note from QBan Health Care Services

Circulatory system diseases affect your body and your life in many ways. That’s why it’s important to learn about common conditions and be actively involved in your medical care. Build rapport with your healthcare provider. Be aware of common symptoms and warning signs so you can seek help early when needed. And share this information with others. You never know when one small fact could save someone’s life.

Scleroderma makes your body produce too much collagen, a protein that you need for healthy skin and tissue. It’s an autoimmune condition, which means your immune system attacks your body instead of protecting it. Scleroderma can cause lots of symptoms and affect tissue throughout your body. It can also lead to life-threatening complications.

What is scleroderma?

Scleroderma is a rare condition that makes your body produce tissue that’s thicker than it should be. Scleroderma usually affects your skin, but can cause symptoms in any tissue throughout your body.

Scleroderma is an autoimmune disorder. Autoimmune disorders happen when your immune system accidentally attacks your body instead of protecting it. Experts don’t know why your immune system turns on you. It’s like it can no longer tell the difference between what’s healthy and what’s not — between what’s you and what’s an invader like bacteria or a virus.

If you have scleroderma, your immune system triggers your body’s cells to produce too much collagen (a protein). Your body needs collagen to have strong, healthy connective tissue to support your organs and hold parts of your body in place. But when you produce too much of it, your skin and other tissue can be thicker and more fibrous than they should be.

Scleroderma is a chronic condition, which means you’ll need to manage your symptoms for a long time (maybe the rest of your life). It can also cause life-threatening complications if it affects tissue in your organs. Call 911 (or your local emergency services number) or go to the emergency room if you feel like you’re having a heart attack, can’t breathe or can’t swallow.

Visit a healthcare provider if you’re experiencing symptoms like pain and stiffness in your joints, especially if you notice thickened skin around your fingers and toes.

Types of scleroderma

Healthcare providers classify scleroderma into two main types:

Localized scleroderma: Localized means concentrated in one area. Localized scleroderma only affects one part of your body (usually your skin). It causes thick patches or streaks on your skin that feel waxy. Localized scleroderma can get better (resolve) on its own. It usually doesn’t spread to other parts of your body.

Systemic sclerosis: Systemic sclerosis can affect other organs, in addition to your skin. It can affect parts of your respiratory system (the organs that help you breathe and smell) and your digestive system (the organs that help you turn foods and drinks into energy). Scleroderma is more likely to cause serious complications if it affects your ability to breathe or process nutrition. It can be fatal. Systemic sclerosis has three subtypes — diffuse, limited and sine sclerosis.

Diffuse sclerosis

Diffuse means spread out widely. Diffuse sclerosis causes thickened skin over larger areas at once, including your:

• Chest.
• Abdomen.
• Thighs.
• Arms.
• Legs.
• Face.

It can also affect multiple organs at once, including your:

• Digestive system (GI tract).
• Kidneys.
• Heart.
• Lungs.

Limited sclerosis (CREST syndrome)

Healthcare providers usually refer to limited scleroderma with the acronym CREST syndrome. Each letter in CREST stands for a symptom it causes:

• Calcinosis (extra calcium deposits in your skin).
• Raynaud’s syndrome (color changes and numbness in your fingertips and toes).
• Esophageal dysfunction (difficulty swallowing and acid reflux).
• Sclerodactyly (tight skin on your fingers).
• Telangiectasias (red or discolored spots on your skin).

Sine sclerosis

Sine sclerosis causes limited sclerosis symptoms, but doesn’t affect your skin. You may have any CREST syndrome symptoms but not experience any thickened skin.

How common is scleroderma?

Scleroderma is rare. Experts estimate that all types of scleroderma affect around 250 out of every 1 million people in the U.S. Around 100,000 people in the U.S. have systemic scleroderma.

What are scleroderma symptoms?

Some people with early scleroderma don’t have any symptoms. The most common scleroderma symptom is having patches or streaks of thickened, waxy skin. Other common symptoms include:

• Joint pain.
• Stiffness (especially when waking up in the morning).
• Fatigue (feeling extremely tired all the time).
• Unexplained weight loss.

Which other symptoms you experience (and where they affect you) depends on which type of scleroderma you have.

Localized scleroderma symptoms

People with localized scleroderma usually only experience skin thickening. The thickened skin can be isolated to one specific area or appear in patches. It can affect skin on your:

• Chest.
• Abdomen (the area around your stomach).
• Arms and legs (your limbs).
• Hands and fingers.
• Feet and toes.

It’s rare for localized scleroderma to affect your internal organs.

Systemic sclerosis symptoms

Systemic scleroderma can cause lots of symptoms. It causes thickened skin, usually in larger areas and patches, including on your face and hands. Thick skin usually appears on your fingers or toes and then spreads toward the center of your body. If you have Raynaud’s syndrome, the skin on your affected fingers and toes may change color when they’re exposed to cold (usually white, reddish or purple).

Systemic sclerosis can also cause symptoms in other organs and tissue, like your:

• Muscles: Numbness and swelling, especially in your hands and feet (your extremities).
• Joints: Stiffness, swelling and loss of mobility (how easily you can move your joint).
• Lungs: Coughing and shortness of breath (dyspnea).
• Digestive tract: Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia), heartburn, bloating, constipation and diarrhea.
• Heart: Abnormal heartbeats (arrhythmia), fluid buildup around your heart (pericardial effusion) and fibrosis (thickened heart muscle).
• Kidneys: Kidney failure (which can be life-threatening).
• Genitals: Erectile dysfunction (ED) and vaginal dryness.

What causes scleroderma?

Experts don’t know for sure what causes scleroderma.

Some studies have found that it can run in families (meaning biological parents can pass it on to their children), but this is rare enough that there’s no definite proof it’s a genetic disorder.

Scleroderma risk factors

Anyone can develop scleroderma, but some groups of people have a higher risk:

• Females are four times more likely than males to develop scleroderma.
• People 30 – 50 years old — it’s rare for people younger than 30 to have scleroderma.
• Black people are more likely to have scleroderma, usually develop it earlier and are more likely to experience symptoms that affect their lungs. They also usually have more severe skin symptoms.

What complications can scleroderma cause?

People with scleroderma are much more likely to have two other conditions: Raynaud’s syndrome and Sjögren’s syndrome.

Reynaud’s syndrome affects small blood vessels in your fingers and toes (your digits). People with it have episodes of symptoms (sometimes called attacks). It makes blood vessels in your digits suddenly tighten (contract) more than they should. This can make the skin in your affected digits turn pale or lighter than your natural skin tone. They might also look bluish.

Sjögren’s syndrome makes your body produce less moisture in certain glands — usually the salivary glands in your mouth and the glands in your eyes that produce tears. Some people with Sjögren’s syndrome experience muscle and joint pain, too.

Some types of scleroderma can cause severe complications, including:

• Kidney failure.
• Pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the arteries that carry blood from your heart to your lungs).
• Pulmonary fibrosis (scarring in your lung tissue).
• Cardiovascular disease (issues that affect your heart and blood vessels).
• Congestive heart failure.
• A weakened immune system (immunodeficiency).
• Gastrointestinal diseases (conditions that affect how your body processes food and absorbs nutrition).
• Cancer.

Some of these complications can be fatal. Visit a healthcare provider as soon as you notice any new or changing symptoms. Call 911 (or your local emergency services number) or go to the emergency room if you think you’re experiencing a heart attack or feel like you can’t breathe or swallow.

How is scleroderma diagnosed?

A healthcare provider will diagnose scleroderma with a physical exam and some tests.

You might need to visit a rheumatologist, a healthcare provider who specializes in treating autoimmune disorders. They’ll examine your body and ask you about your symptoms. Tell your provider which symptoms you’re experiencing, when you first noticed them and if anything seems to make them worse.

You’ll also need a few tests to rule out other conditions that cause similar symptoms.

What tests do healthcare providers use to diagnose scleroderma?

Diagnosing scleroderma is usually part of a differential diagnosis. This means your provider will probably use a few tests to determine what’s causing your symptoms before ruling out other conditions and diagnosing you with scleroderma. Some tests you might need include:

• Blood tests to see how well your immune system is working.
• Pulmonary function tests to show if your lungs or respiratory system are affected.
• Biopsy to remove a sample of your affected skin or other tissue for testing in a lab.
• Endoscopy (looking inside your throat or stomach with a tiny camera attached to a long, thin tube) if you’re experiencing gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms.

You’ll probably also need a few imaging tests to take pictures of the inside of your body, including:

• Electrocardiogram (ECG).
• Echocardiogram (Echo).
• A chest X-ray.
• A computed tomography (CT) scan.

How is scleroderma treated?

There’s no cure for scleroderma, but your healthcare provider will help you find a combination of treatments that manages your symptoms and minimizes how much they impact your daily routine.

Which treatments you’ll need depends on where you’re experiencing symptoms and how severe they are. Some common scleroderma treatments include:

• Skin treatments: You might need creams and moisturizers to prevent your skin from drying out.
• Immunosuppressants: Immunosuppressants stop your immune system from damaging healthy cells and tissues.
• Medicines to manage specific symptoms: For example, you might need medication to manage your blood pressure, improve your breathing, manage kidney failure or relieve gastrointestinal symptoms.
• Physical therapy: A physical therapist will help you improve how your body physically moves.
• Light therapy (phototherapy): Light therapy uses bright, focused UV light to treat skin conditions. It can help treat thickened skin.
• Stem cell transplants: Some people with severe symptoms might need a stem cell transplant. A stem cell transplant helps your body replace damaged blood cells with healthy donor cells.

Can I prevent scleroderma?

Because experts don’t know what causes it, there’s no way to prevent scleroderma.

What can I expect if I have scleroderma?

You should expect to manage scleroderma and its symptoms for the rest of your life. Even though there’s no cure, most people find treatments and lifestyle tweaks to minimize how much their symptoms impact their day-to-day lives.

Living with a chronic condition can be extremely frustrating. Ask your healthcare provider about additional resources like support groups or educational opportunities to help you manage stress and your mental health.

How can I take care of myself?

In addition to your regular treatments, you might be able to manage some of your symptoms by making some changes in your daily routine, including:

• Following a diet and exercise plan that’s healthy for you.
• Avoiding intense physical activity when you’re not feeling well.
• Protecting your skin with the right clothing for your environment and wearing high-quality sunscreen when you’re outside.
• Visiting a dental care provider for regular cleaning and checkups.

When should I see my healthcare provider?

Scleroderma can cause so many different symptoms that it’s sometimes hard to notice at first. Visit a healthcare provider if you notice any new pain or other symptoms, especially if they’re getting worse. Even if something else is causing your symptoms, a provider will diagnose the cause and suggest treatments to manage them.

Talk to your provider if you feel like your scleroderma treatments aren’t working as well or if your symptoms are changing or getting worse — especially if they affect your ability to breathe or swallow.

When should I go to the ER?

Call 911 (or your local emergency number) or go to the emergency room if you’re experiencing heart attack symptoms like chest pain, trouble breathing or you feel like you can’t swallow.

What questions should I ask my healthcare provider?

• Do I have scleroderma or another condition?
• Which type of scleroderma do I have?
• Which treatments will I need?
• Which complications should I keep an eye out for?

A note from Qban Health Care Services

Scleroderma can be a very frustrating condition to live with. Because experts aren’t sure what causes it and there’s no one treatment that works for everyone, it might take time to find treatments that manage your symptoms well. Your healthcare provider will help you at every step of the process.

Trust your instincts and your body if something feels “off.” Even subtle changes in your symptoms can be a sign of an issue your healthcare provider should examine. Don’t be afraid to ask them questions or share concerns about your symptoms or treatments.

Living with a chronic condition can be exhausting. Take time to give yourself credit and recognition for all the hard work it takes to manage your symptoms.

Your body is held together by tissues that connect all the structures in your body. When you have a connective tissue disease, these connecting structures are negatively affected. Connective tissue diseases include autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma and lupus.

What is connective tissue disease?

“Connective tissue disease” is an umbrella term for a wide range of diseases that can affect your connective tissues. These are the tissues that connect and support your organs and body structure. They hold your muscle fibers together and cover and protect your nerves. They also include your:

• Body fat
• Bones
• Cartilage
• Fascia
• Ligaments
• Skin
• Tendons

As these tissues are in almost every part of your body, connective tissue diseases can also affect you all over. They might affect one or two types of tissues throughout your body or many. They can also affect many organs. Different types of connective tissue disease have different symptoms.

What are the different types of connective tissue disease?

There are over 200 known connective tissue disorders. They fall into three main categories:

• Autoimmune diseases
• Genetic disorders
• Cancers (sarcomas)

Autoimmune connective tissue diseases

Autoimmune diseases are what many people think of when they think of connective tissue disease. In these conditions, your immune system generates chronic inflammation in some parts of your body. Chronic inflammation causes pain, swelling and, eventually, permanent damage to your tissues.

Some examples of autoimmune connective tissue disorders include:

• Rheumatoid arthritis: This causes joint inflammation, sometimes leading to joint destruction and deformity. In some cases, the inflammation may spread to your blood vessels or other organs.
• Relapsing polychondritis: This causes inflammation and degeneration of the cartilage in your ears, nose and throat, which can affect your hearing and breathing. Sometimes, it affects your eyes.
• Myositis: This causes inflammation and degeneration of your muscles, making them feel weak. There are different types of myositis that can affect both the muscles and/or skin, causing rashes.
• Sjögren’s syndrome: This inflames and damages your moisture-producing glands, causing dryness throughout your body, including your eyes, mouth, digestive system and respiratory system.
• Lupus: This condition can cause inflammation in any of your connective tissues, and sometimes all of them. Systemic lupus may affect your skin, joints and vital organs, like your heart, lungs and kidneys.
• Scleroderma: This condition causes your body to overproduce collagen, which can cause thickening and hardening of your skin and organs, including your digestive system, kidneys, heart and lungs.

If you have overlapping features of several autoimmune connective tissue disorders, it’s called mixed connective tissue disease. If you have some symptoms of some autoimmune diseases, but they don’t meet the criteria for any specific disorder, it’s called undifferentiated connective tissue disease.

Genetic connective tissue disorders

Genetic disorders of the connective tissue result from a gene mutation that you inherit at birth. The mutation affects how your connective tissues develop. It usually affects one of the two primary building blocks in all connective tissues: collagen or elastin. This causes various defects in your tissues.

Examples of hereditary connective tissue diseases include:

• Marfan syndrome: This syndrome affects the elastin fibers that give your tissues elasticity, making your tissues too loose. It causes elongated limbs and can also cause issues in your cardiovascular system.
• Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: This condition weakens the collagen throughout your body, making your skin and joints hyperextendable, fragile and unstable. It can also affect your cardiovascular system.
• Osteogenesis imperfecta: This causes a lack of type 1 collagen, which is prominent in your ligaments, bones and teeth. It also makes your joints loose and your bones and teeth brittle and weak.
• Stickler syndrome: This syndrome affects the collagen in your cartilage and in the gel-like substance that lubricates your eye (vitreous humor). It can also cause hearing and vision issues, as well as arthritis.
• Epidermolysis bullosa: This affects the collagen in your skin, making it fragile and causing chronic blistering. It can also affect the mucous membranes that line your mouth, throat and airway.
• Loeys-Dietz syndrome: This condition affects the signals that tell your connective tissues how to develop. It can also lead to a variety of musculoskeletal abnormalities, as well as an enlarged aorta in your heart.

People born with these conditions can have a wide variety of symptoms and complications, ranging from mild to severe. As healthcare providers can’t treat the genetic defect, they treat the symptoms and complications individually as much as they can. They’ll monitor your condition throughout your life.

Cancers of the connective tissues

The type of cancer that can start in your connective tissues is called sarcoma. Sarcomas can start in your bones, cartilage, fat, muscles, ligaments, tendons or the deep layers of your skin. They can also start in other “soft tissues” that aren’t technically connective tissues, like epithelium and endothelium.

Examples of connective tissue sarcomas include:

• Osteosarcoma: The most common type of primary bone cancer
• Chondrosarcoma: Bone cancer that starts from cartilage
• Ewing sarcoma: Atumor that can start in your cartilage or bone
• Fibrosarcoma: Starts in fibrous tissues, like ligaments and tendons
• Clear cell sarcoma: Starts in the muscles, tendons or fascia of your legs
• Liposarcoma: A tumor that starts in your body fat
• Dermafibrosarcoma: Starts in the middle layer (dermis) of your skin
• Myxofibrosarcoma: Starts as a lump under your skin, usually in an arm or leg

What are symptoms of connective tissue disease?

Different connective tissue diseases can cause a wide variety of different symptoms. But there are some common themes. For example, most connective tissue diseases can cause symptoms all over your body. Musculoskeletal pain, weakness and/or stiffness are common, as are systemic symptoms, like fatigue.

Many connective tissue disorders can affect your lungs and cardiovascular system. Your lungs have a lot of connective tissues and rely heavily on them. Blood vessels run through most of your connective tissues, and because they’re made of similar stuff, inflammation spreads easily between them.

As a result, many connective tissue diseases can cause musculoskeletal symptoms together with cardiopulmonary symptoms, like shortness of breath and changes to your blood pressure or heartbeat. If your blood vessels become inflamed, they can swell and break, causing unexplained bleeding.

Sarcomas often won’t cause symptoms until they grow large enough to compress an organ or vessel. But some can cause bone pain or joint pain where they start. Others may appear as a lump under your skin that may or may not be tender. Most sarcomas can spread, causing more widespread symptoms.

What causes connective tissue disease?

Connective tissue disease happens when something in your body malfunctions. In autoimmune disease, your immune system launches an attack against your own body. In genetic diseases, a mutated gene causes your tissues to develop wrong. Cancer happens when cells continue to divide uncontrollably.

For the most part, scientists don’t know the underlying reasons why these malfunctions occur. But certain risk factors might play a part in making you more vulnerable to these diseases. Severe infections that overstress your immune system and exposure to certain toxic chemicals are possible risk factors.

How are connective tissue diseases diagnosed?

Your doctor may order various tests depending on what type of connective tissue disorder is suspected. They’ll first ask for your medical history and a family history, and will do a physical examination. Further tests may include:

• Imaging tests, such as X-rays and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.
• Tests for markers of inflammation, such as C-reactive protein and Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR).
• Tests for antibodies, especially for autoimmune conditions.
• Tests for dry eyes or dry mouth.
• Blood and urine tests.
• A tissue biopsy.

How do you treat connective tissue disease?

Most connective tissue disorders are lifelong conditions. Healthcare providers do what they can to reduce their severity and treat the symptoms and complications individually. Autoimmune diseases and sarcomas can go into remission — periods without any signs or symptoms. But they can also recur (return).

Healthcare providers treat autoimmune diseases with a combination of anti-inflammatory drugs (corticosteroids) and immune system-repressing drugs (immunosuppressants) to stop the automatic inflammation. Treatments for sarcomas include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Scientists are researching genetic therapies that may one day be able to reduce the effects of genetic connective tissue disorders. For now, providers can only treat the symptoms. In addition to medications, they recommend regular low-stress exercise or physical therapy to help manage musculoskeletal pain.

How do I take care of myself while living with connective tissue disease?

The wide range of connective tissue disorders have very different outlooks and possible complications. Your healthcare provider is the best person to tell you what signs and symptoms to look out for and when to seek treatment. They may also recommend lifestyle changes to help optimize your overall health.

A note from Qban Health Care Services

Connective tissue disease affects the tissues that hold things together in your body. In normal circumstances, you probably wouldn’t notice these tissues doing their jobs. But when they’re diseased, you feel it — often, all over. These diseases can cause a vast array of symptoms and complications.

It can be hard to recognize the signs and symptoms of a connective tissue disease. But getting a diagnosis and beginning treatment sooner puts you in a better position to manage your condition. Don’t ignore your symptoms, even if they seem unrelated. They could be different effects of the same disease.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is an extremely common wrist issue. Irritation or damage inside the carpal tunnel in your wrist causes it when swelling presses on your median nerve. Carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms include wrist pain, tingling, numbness and weakness. A healthcare provider will suggest treatments like wearing a splint, physical therapy or surgery.

What is carpal tunnel syndrome?

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a health condition that causes symptoms like pain, numbness, tingling and weakness in your hand and wrist.

The carpal tunnel is a space in your wrist bones. It’s like a tunnel road through a mountainside, but instead of making room in the rock for cars, it’s a passageway in your bones that lets tendons, ligaments and nerves pass through it to reach your hand.

Carpal tunnel syndrome happens when something irritates or puts extra pressure on the median nerve that runs through your carpal tunnel. The median nerve helps you move your forearm and gives feeling to most of your fingers and hands. If it’s damaged or pressed against the walls of your carpal tunnel, it can send extra or incorrect feelings to your hand and wrist.

Visit a healthcare provider if you’re experiencing pain, numbness or tingling in your hands and wrists. Carpal tunnel syndrome usually responds well to treatment, but it can permanently damage your median nerve if it’s not treated soon enough.

How common is carpal tunnel syndrome?

Carpal tunnel syndrome is extremely common. Experts estimate that around 3 out of every 1,000 people in the U.S. experience carpal tunnel syndrome each year.

What are the signs and symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome?

The most common carpal tunnel symptoms include:

• Numbness in your wrist, hand or fingers (especially your fingertips)
• Pain in your wrist, hand or fingers
• Tingling
• Trouble using your hands to hold or control objects (like holding your phone, gripping the steering wheel, holding a pen or typing on a keyboard, for example).

Carpal tunnel syndrome usually develops slowly. You might only experience minor symptoms at first that may get worse over time.

People usually first notice symptoms at night — pain or tingling may wake you up. Over time, the symptoms may start affecting you during the day, especially if you do the same kind of motion a lot at work like typing, writing or using tools.

What does carpal tunnel syndrome feel like?

Carpal tunnel syndrome can make your wrists, hands and fingers feel uncomfortable. It may feel like pinpricks or like your fingers or hands “fell asleep.” You may also feel numbness that makes you want to shake your hands like you’re flinging water off them.

Carpal tunnel syndrome pain usually feels like it’s coming from inside your hand or wrist — not a skin-level pain like a cut. The pain may feel like a sharp, burning stab or a constant ache.

Some people with carpal tunnel syndrome feel like their hands and grip are weaker than normal. It might feel like you can’t get a solid hold on a mug or pen, even if you’re concentrating on it.

Your hands and fingers may feel clumsy or less able to perform precise motions, like buttoning a shirt or aiming a key into a lock.

What causes carpal tunnel syndrome?

Extra pressure on your median nerve causes carpal tunnel syndrome. The carpal tunnel has space for all the parts that pass through it, but if one part of your wrist is swollen or damaged, it can press on other tissue around it, including your median nerve.

Anything that causes swelling or irritation in your wrist can cause carpal tunnel syndrome:

• Repetitive strain injuries
• Arthritis
• Sprains
• Wrist fractures (broken wrist bones)
• Ganglion cysts

What are the risk factors?

Anyone can develop carpal tunnel syndrome, but some people are more likely to, including:

• People who do repetitive motions with their hands and wrists for work (swinging a hammer, for example)
• People who use power tools that vibrate (like drills or jackhammers)
• Pregnant women
• Women
• Adults over the age of 40
• People whose biological relatives have carpal tunnel syndrome (it can be hereditary, or passed through generations in families)

Having certain health conditions can increase your carpal tunnel syndrome risk, including:

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Gout
• Hypothyroidism
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Amyloidosis

What are the complications?

If a healthcare provider doesn’t diagnose and treat carpal tunnel syndrome as soon as possible, the irritation in your wrist can cause permanent damage. Specifically, the extra pressure can damage your median nerve, which may make it hard or impossible to feel, move or use your hand.

Visit a healthcare provider as soon as you notice carpal tunnel symptoms or any changes in how you can feel or use your hand and wrist.

How do providers diagnose carpal tunnel syndrome?

A healthcare provider will diagnose carpal tunnel syndrome with a physical exam and some tests. They’ll examine your wrist, hand and fingers and ask about your symptoms. Tell your provider when you first noticed symptoms and if any activities or time of day make them better or worse.

Carpal tunnel tests

Your provider will use a combination of physical and imaging tests to diagnose carpal tunnel syndrome, including:

• Tinel’s sign
• Phalen’s test
• Wrist X-rays
• Electromyography (EMG)
• Ultrasound
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

What are carpal tunnel syndrome treatments?

Providers treat carpal tunnel syndrome with nonsurgical (conservative) treatments first. You may need carpal tunnel surgery if conservative treatments don’t relieve your symptoms.

Nonsurgical carpal tunnel treatments

The most common carpal tunnel treatments include modifying your daily routine, supporting and strengthening your wrist and taking medication:

• Wearing a splint (especially at night): A splint will hold your wrist in a neutral position to take pressure off your median nerve.
• Physical therapy: A physical therapist can help you strengthen muscles around your wrist and increase your flexibility.
• Changing your posture or working environment: An occupational therapist can suggest ways to modify how you do everyday tasks to move safely and more comfortably. You might need to change how you sit or stand, how you position your keyboard or make other posture tweaks.
• Over-the-counter medications: Your provider might suggest over-the-counter NSAIDs or acetaminophen to reduce inflammation and relieve pain. Don’t take these medicines for more than 10 days in a row without talking to your provider.
• Corticosteroids: Corticosteroids are prescription anti-inflammatory medications. Your provider may give you cortisone shots in your affected carpal tunnel.

Carpal tunnel syndrome surgery

If conservative treatments don’t work, your provider will suggest carpal tunnel surgery. Your surgeon will perform a carpal tunnel release to create more space inside your wrist. They’ll make an incision (cut) in the ligament that connects your wrist to your palm (your transverse carpal ligament). This reduces tension on your carpal tunnel and gives your tendons and nerves more space.

Carpal tunnel release surgery is usually an outpatient procedure, which means you can go home the same day. Your surgeon will tell you what the expect and will give you recovery instructions.

How soon after treatment will I feel better?

You should start feeling better as soon as you start carpal tunnel treatment. It might take a few weeks (or longer) for nonsurgical treatments to reduce the pressure on your median nerve, but your symptoms should start improving gradually.

Carpal tunnel surgery should improve your symptoms as soon as your wrist heals. It usually takes a month or two to recover.

Can I prevent carpal tunnel syndrome?

It can be hard to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome, especially if a health condition or activity you can’t avoid causes it. You might be able to reduce your risk by protecting your wrists. Protective steps include:

• Stretch your wrists and hands before and after intense physical activitiesWear proper protective equipment for all work or activities.
• Take frequent rest breaks when working with your hands.
• Use proper technique and maintain good posture when working with tools or typing on a keyboard.

What can I expect if I have carpal tunnel syndrome?

You should expect to tweak some of your daily activities and try a few nonsurgical treatments to support your wrists and reduce inflammation inside your carpal tunnel. Your healthcare provider will suggest treatments that relieve carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms and prevent median nerve damage.

It might take a few tries to find treatments that work for you, but most people are able to find carpal tunnel relief. Your provider will suggest surgery if conservative treatments aren’t working or if you have severe carpal tunnel syndrome.

Can carpal tunnel syndrome heal on its own?

It’s possible for carpal tunnel syndrome to get better on its own — especially if you rest or avoid repetitive motions with your wrists for a while. But it’s much more likely that carpal tunnel syndrome won’t heal unless a healthcare provider diagnoses and treats it.

It’s not worth risking permanent damage to your median nerve. See a healthcare provider as soon as you notice any tingling, pain or numbness in your wrists, hands or fingers.

What questions should I ask my doctor?

• Do I have carpal tunnel syndrome or another wrist issue?
• What’s causing the carpal tunnel syndrome?
• Which treatments will I need?
• Will I need surgery?
• Which kind of splint should I buy, and how often should I wear it?

A note from Qban Health Care Services

Anything that affects your ability to feel and use your hands and fingers can be scary, annoying and frustrating — and carpal tunnel syndrome is no different. It happens when irritation causes extra pressure on the median nerve in your wrist.

It might seem easy to ignore occasional pain, tingling or numbness in your hand, especially if it comes and goes. But don’t shrug off these symptoms. Carpal tunnel syndrome can cause permanent nerve damage if it’s not treated soon enough. But it’s also very treatable. Your provider will help you find ways to relieve your symptoms and prevent damage inside your wrist.

Tennis elbow happens when you do a repetitive motion like twisting or swinging your lower arm a lot. Extra stress on your elbow damages the tendon that connects your forearm muscles to your elbow. Most people get better with a few months of nonsurgical treatment and rest. Providers sometimes call tennis elbow lateral epicondylitis.

What is tennis elbow?

Tennis elbow is an injury that causes pain and inflammation in your elbow. It’s usually a repetitive strain injury.

Repetitive strain injuries happen when you use a part of your body to repeatedly do the same kind of motion so often that it damages your tissue.

Tennis elbow gets its name from being a common sports injury for people who play tennis or other racket sports. It happens when you overuse the tendon that connects your forearm muscles to your elbow (your extensor muscle tendon).

The medical term for tennis elbow is lateral epicondylitis. Epicondylitis is inflammation in the extensor muscle tendon. Lateral epicondylitis means the inflammation is on the lateral side — the outside edge when you hold your arms at your sides with your palms facing forward, the same direction as your eyes.

Any motion that makes you grip or twist and swing your forearm often can cause tennis elbow. Visit a healthcare provider if you have an elbow injury or feel pain that doesn’t get better on its own in a week. Seeing a provider as soon as the pain starts can increase your treatment options (and how well they work).

How common is tennis elbow?

Tennis elbow is one of the most common causes of elbow pain. Experts estimate that around 3% of all people in the U.S. experience tennis elbow each year.

Even though it’s named for tennis, experts estimate that more than 90% of people who have tennis elbow don’t develop it from playing tennis or other sports.

What are tennis elbow symptoms?

The most common tennis elbow symptoms include:

• Elbow pain (especially on the outside of your elbow — the side furthest away from the center of your body when your arms are at your sides with your palms facing forward).
• Stiffness.
• Swelling.
• A weakened grip (especially when you’re trying to hold something like a racket, pen or shake someone’s hand).

How do you know if you have tennis elbow?

You can’t know for sure you have tennis elbow without visiting a healthcare provider for a diagnosis. Lots of people with tennis elbow feel a specific kind of pain in their elbow and arm. The pain usually feels:

• Sharp or burning.
• Worse when you twist or bend your arm (like turning a doorknob, opening a jar or swinging your arm).
• Like it spreads (radiates) from your elbow down to your forearm and into your wrist (especially at night).

Does tennis elbow affect one or both arms?

Most people develop tennis elbow in their dominant arm (the side you naturally use for most activities). You’re most likely to have tennis elbow in whichever arm you use the most for a repetitive activity — the arm you hold a racket or tools with.

It’s less common, but it’s possible to develop tennis elbow in both arms at the same time.

What causes tennis elbow?

Any motion or activity that you frequently repeat can trigger tennis elbow. Extra stress from repetitive movements builds up over time. Eventually, that added use and stress on your extensor muscle tendon causes tiny tears (microtraumas). Those microtraumas cause symptoms you can feel and notice.

It’s less common, but a sudden arm or elbow injury can also cause tennis elbow.

What are the risk factors?

Anyone can develop tennis elbow, but some people are more likely to, including people who:

• Lift more than 45 pounds (22 kilograms) regularly.
• Are older than 40.
• Smoke.
• Have obesity (a body mass index, or BMI, of 30 or higher).

Athletes who play sports that put stress on their arms or elbows, including:

• Tennis (and other racket sports like squash, pickleball or racquetball).
• Baseball.
• Softball.
• Bowling.
• Golf.
• Weight lifting.

People whose jobs or hobbies put lots of stress on their elbows, including:

• Painters.
• Musicians.
• Chefs or cooks.
• Carpenters.
• Plumbers.
• Cleaners.
• Gardeners.
• Manicurists.

What are tennis elbow complications?

Tennis elbow usually doesn’t cause serious complications. If you keep using your injured elbow before your tendon heals, you can increase your chances of rupturing (tearing) it.

How do providers diagnose tennis elbow?

A healthcare provider will diagnose tennis elbow with a physical exam and some tests. They’ll examine your injured elbow and ask about your symptoms. Tell your provider when you first noticed pain, stiffness or other symptoms and if any activities make them worse (or better).

Tennis elbow tests

Your provider may use some of the following tests to check for damage inside your arm and take pictures of your elbow:

• Elbow X-ray.
• Ultrasound.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
• Electromyography (EMG).

What are tennis elbow treatments?

Your provider will suggest treatments to help your tendon heal. The RICE method is usually the best way to fix tennis elbow:

• Rest: Take a break from the activity that caused tennis elbow. Try to avoid using your elbow while it heals.
• Ice: Apply a cold compress or ice pack to your elbow for 15 to 20 minutes at a time, a few times a day. Wrap ice packs in a towel or thin cloth so they don’t touch your skin directly.
• Compression: Wrap a compression bandage around your elbow. Your provider can show you how to safely apply the compression bandage.
• Elevation: Keep your elbow above the level of your heart as often as you can.

Other nonsurgical (conservative) tennis elbow treatments include:

• Over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers: Over-the-counter NSAIDs or acetaminophen reduce swelling and relieve pain. Talk to your provider before taking these medications for more than 10 days in a row.
• Physical therapy: A physical therapist will give you stretches and exercises to strengthen the muscles around your elbow and increase your flexibility.
• Wearing a brace: Wrist and elbow braces will allow your tendon to rest so it can heal. Your provider will tell you which kind of brace you’ll need and how often to wear it.
• Platelet-rich plasma: Your provider will take a sample of your blood and then process it to concentrate platelets (proteins that encourage healing). Then, they’ll inject that blood sample into your elbow.
• Corticosteroids: Corticosteroids are prescription anti-inflammatory medications. Your provider may inject cortisone shots into your injured elbow. Corticosteroids aren’t as common as other treatments because they may not relieve pain, especially if you’ve felt pain for more than six weeks.
• Tenotomy: Your provider will poke a needle through your skin and into your injured tendon using an ultrasound to guide them. They’ll break down and remove damaged tissue to encourage your body’s natural healing process.
• Shockwave therapy: Your provider will direct a specific pressure frequency where your tendon is injured. The shockwaves encourage your body to speed up the healing.

Tennis elbow surgery

Most people don’t need surgery to repair tennis elbow. Your provider may suggest surgery if you’re still having severe symptoms after several months of conservative treatments.

Your surgeon will remove damaged tissue and repair your tendon. Most tennis elbow surgeries are outpatient procedures, which means you can go home the same day.

Your surgeon will tell you which type of surgery you’ll need, what you can expect and how long it’ll take to recover.

How soon after treatment will I feel better?

You should start feeling better as soon as you start resting your elbow and avoiding the activity that caused tennis elbow. It can take several months for your elbow to heal. It depends on what caused the injury, how severely it damaged your tendon and how long you’ve had pain. Ask your provider what to expect.

How can I prevent tennis elbow?

The best way to prevent tennis elbow is to avoid overusing your arm and elbow.

During sports or other physical activities:

• Wear the right protective equipment for all work, sports or hobbies.
• Don’t “play through pain” during or after physical activity.
• Give your body time to rest and recover after intense activity.
• Stretch and warm up before playing sports or working out.
• Cool down and stretch after physical activity.
• Do sport-specific exercises or exercises that keep your body healthy for your sports, hobbies or job.

What can I expect if I have tennis elbow?

You should expect to take a break from the physical activities that caused tennis elbow. You may need to stop doing some activities completely, or do them with modifications (like wearing a brace while you work or taking breaks more often).

People almost always make a full recovery from tennis elbow. You should be able to resume all your usual activities once your tendon heals, even if you need surgery.

How long tennis elbow lasts

Tennis elbow can last anywhere from a few months to more than a year. It usually takes around six months to recover, but some people need longer (up to 18 months).

How long it’ll take you to recover depends on a few factors:

• What caused the tennis elbow.
• How damaged your tendon is.
• Which treatments you need.

When should I see my healthcare provider?

Visit a healthcare provider if you think your elbow is injured or you notice any of the following signs of tennis elbow:

• It’s hard to move your elbow or arm.
• Your elbow is swollen or discolored.
• You’re in severe pain that makes it hard to do your usual activities (including sleeping).
• You have pain that lasts more than a week.

Which questions should I ask my provider?

• What caused the tennis elbow?
• Will I need any tests?
• Which treatments will I need?
• Will I need surgery?
• How should I modify my daily routine?

How do you know if you have tennis elbow or tendinitis?

Tendinitis is inflammation or irritation in a tendon that makes it swell. That means you technically always have tendinitis if you have tennis elbow. But it’s not an extra condition or injury, just another way your provider might classify what’s going on inside your elbow.

Some people with tennis elbow might actually have tendinosis. No matter what’s causing pain in your elbow, visit a provider as soon as possible.

What’s the difference between tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow?

Tennis and elbow and golfer’s elbow are similar conditions. They’re both repetitive strain injuries caused by overusing your arm and elbow.

Tennis elbow affects the extensor muscle tendon on the outer (lateral) part of your elbow. Golfer’s elbow affects the tendon on the inner (medial) part of your elbow. The medical term for golfer’s elbow is medial epicondylitis.

A note from Qban Health Care Services

It’s confusing to learn you have tennis elbow if you’ve never swung a racket in your life. But tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) is named for the kinds of arm motions that can irritate and damage a tendon in your elbow. You don’t need to be a Wimbledon contender to have tennis elbow. In fact, most people who have it don’t even play tennis.

Most people need a few months of rest and nonsurgical treatments to let their injured tendon heal. Your provider will tell you which treatments will be best for you and how long you’ll need to avoid certain activities or motions.