South Africa’s leading vascular surgeons will converge this week, April 3–7, in collaboration with their colleagues from around the world to create awareness of venous-lymphatic diseases as part of International Vein Week.
The initiative is not for profit and aims to promote the importance of proactively managing venous-lymphatic health among health-care practitioners, those afflicted with the disease and the public.
Lymphatic and venous diseases affect the South African population at large. Venous and lymphatic diseases include deep vein thrombosis, lipoedema, lymphoedema, spider veins, varicose veins, and venous leg ulcers. These conditions can have a negative psychosocial impact on patients and severely impact their quality of life.
Dr Vinesh Padayachy, a founding member of the SA Lymphatic and Venous Society (SALVS) – who operates out of Lenmed eThekwini Heart Hospital – said the objective is to encourage health-care practitioners and the public to become proactive rather than reactive in managing lymphatic and venous diseases.
The International Vein Week campaign will take place from April 3 to 7 and will coincide with the World Health Organization’s celebration of World Health Day on April 7.
SALVS will participate in the International Vein Week campaign by hosting a series of educational events.
Padayachy said an organisation like SALVS was important for the South African medical fraternity as it emphasised the need for a society dedicated to the study of this disease in South Africa.
He explained that the limited data available on venous disease in South Africa relied heavily on studies from Europe, highlighting the need for local and African research into the disease. SALVS aims to address this issue and promote awareness of lymphatic and venous diseases through a series of discussions this week.
On Monday, Dr Laura Redman, another founder of SALVS, will host a podcast for Education to Health Professional, called Can vascular malformations be cured?
On Tuesday, a lecture on lipoedema will be broadcast by Jenna Garbers, and on Friday there will be a recorded webinar on Effective Compression for Vascular Oedema Success.
Padayachy said the the lack of a dedicated society studying lymphatic and venous diseases in South Africa and Africa as a whole presented a unique opportunity for research and the development of African solutions to the disease. He stressed the importance of research into this disease to determine its significance in morbidity among people in South Africa.
“Many people with venous disease are unaware of their condition and do not seek help, while others who do seek treatment may not receive adequate care due to a lack of information in the medical community.
“In a big city like Durban, there is no state or government institution dedicated to venous disease, leaving patients to suffer from leg pain and swelling without proper treatment. SALVS aims to provide health-care professionals with knowledge of available treatments and to promote collaboration with other societies around the world,” he added.
Interested parties can learn more about the International Vein Week by visiting the v-WIN Foundation website (www.vwinfoundation.com) as well as the SALVS website (www.salvs.org).
IOL