UAMS to Offer Free Varicose Vein Screening Jan. 31
| LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is offering a free screening for varicose veins from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 31 in the UAMS Vascular Lab.
Registration by phone is required. To register, patients will first be asked to answer questions regarding their current symptoms, such as whether they can see swollen leg veins and whether those veins hurt or are causing other problems. To register, contact Jackie Pennington at (501) 686-6176.
The screening is led by UAMS vascular surgeon Ahsan Ali, M.D., and sponsored by Covidien. Free parking will be available in Deck 2 located off Campus Drive.
An estimated 25 million Americans have varicose veins, the leading cause of which is incompetent or “leaky” valves in veins running from ankle to groin. Though age and gender both factor into risk, the condition can affect anyone and worsen if left untreated.
“Many people believe varicose veins are a purely cosmetic issue and that nothing can be done about them. However, varicose veins can sometimes progress to a more serious disease with symptoms that include pain, swelling, restlessness and ulcers,” said Ali.
Ali said new treatments are giving those with varicose veins new options to improve quality of life without major procedures.
“One very minimally invasive option is to give numbing medicine to the patient, introduce a catheter the length of the vein, then close the vein from the inside,” said Ali.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,485 students, 915 medical residents and fellows, and seven dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 11,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.###