The key difference between phlebitis and thrombophlebitis is that phlebitis usually affects both veins on the skin surface and larger blood vessels deep in the legs, while thrombophlebitis usually affects only larger blood vessels deep in the legs.
Inflammation of the veins is called phlebitis. It is mainly of two types: superficial phlebitis and thrombophlebitis. Superficial phlebitis usually occurs on the skin surface and is due to surgical or medical procedures, while thrombophlebitis usually occurs in the deep veins in the legs and is due to blood clots. Phlebitis and thrombophlebitis are two related medical conditions.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Phlebitis
3. What is Thrombophlebitis
4. Similarities – Phlebitis and Thrombophlebitis
5. Phlebitis vs Thrombophlebitis in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Phlebitis vs Thrombophlebitis
What is Phlebitis?
Phlebitis is an inflammatory process that takes place in veins and usually affects both veins on the skin surface and larger blood vessels deep in the legs. It is mainly divided into two forms: superficial phlebitis and thrombophlebitis. Superficial phlebitis occurs on veins of the skin surface. It is a very rare condition. Superficial phlebitis is due to surgical or medical procedures. Moreover, a person with superficial phlebitis can also get thrombophlebitis. Thrombophlebitis occurs in the deep veins in the legs.
Thrombophlebitis is due to blood clot formation because of prolonged inactivity, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, smoking, certain medication (cancer medications), hormone replacement therapy, pregnancy, or varicose veins. It can cause serious complications, such as pulmonary embolism. Symptoms of superficial phlebitis include redness, swelling, warmth, tenderness, visible red streaking on the skin, and a rope-like structure that can feel through the skin. The symptoms of thrombophlebitis include pain, swelling, warmth, and skin discolouration.
Phlebitis can be diagnosed through ultrasound, D-timer blood test, venography, and imaging test (CT scan and MRI). Furthermore, treatments for phlebitis may include applying a warm compress to the affected area, keeping the leg raised while resting, taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), anticoagulant blood thing medications, thrombolytic medication, varicose vein treatment, thrombectomy, and vena cava filter.
What is Thrombophlebitis?
Thrombophlebitis is an inflammatory process that takes place in veins and usually affects only larger blood vessels deep in the legs. It is also known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The symptoms of thrombophlebitis (deep vein thrombosis) include pain, swelling, warmth, and skin discolouration. Thrombophlebitis is caused by a blood clot, an injury to a vein, an inherited blood thinning disorder, trauma, surgery, and being immobile for long periods.
Figure 01: Thrombophlebitis
Moreover, thrombophlebitis can be diagnosed through physical examination, ultrasound tests, and blood tests. Furthermore, thrombophlebitis is treated through blood-thinning medications (fondaparinux), clot-dissolving medications (alteplase), compression stockings, vein cava filter, varicose vein stripping, lifestyle and home remedies (self-care measurement).
What are the Similarities Between Phlebitis and Thrombophlebitis?
- Phlebitis and thrombophlebitis are two related medical conditions.
- Thrombophlebitis is a type of phlebitis.
- Both conditions can be caused by blood clots.
- Both conditions can be diagnosed through blood tests and imaging tests.
- They can be treated through specific medications like blood thinning medications.
What is the Difference Between Phlebitis and Thrombophlebitis?
Phlebitis is an inflammatory process that takes place in veins and usually affects both veins on the skin surface and larger blood vessels deep in the legs, while thrombophlebitis is an inflammatory process that takes place in veins and usually affects only larger blood vessels deep in the legs. Thus, this is the key difference between phlebitis and thrombophlebitis. Furthermore, phlebitis is caused by blood clots and surgical or medical procedures. On the other hand, thrombophlebitis is caused by blood clot formation because of prolonged inactivity, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, smoking, certain medication (cancer medications), hormone replacement therapy, pregnancy, or varicose veins.
The following table summarizes the difference between phlebitis and thrombophlebitis.
Summary – Phlebitis vs Thrombophlebitis
Phlebitis is the inflammation of veins. It is of two types: superficial phlebitis and thrombophlebitis. Phlebitis usually affects both veins on the skin surface and larger blood vessels deep in the legs, while thrombophlebitis usually affects only larger blood vessels deep in the legs. So, this summarizes the difference between phlebitis and thrombophlebitis.
Reference:
1. “Thrombophlebitis.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
2. “What Is Phlebitis: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment.” WebMD.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Thrombophlebitis am Ellenbogen nach Infusionsnadel 54M – US – 001 – Annotation” By Hellerhoff – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia