Phlebitis is an inflammation of a vein, usually in the legs. Perhaps the most famous sufferer from phlebitis was the late United States president Richard Nixon. The condition was also detailed in The Dharma Bums and other writings by Beat author Jack Kerouac, who suffered from the disease probably brought on by years of benzedrine and alcohol abuse. However, most people with the condition, perhaps 80 to 90 percent, are women. The disease may also have a genetic component, as it is known to run in families.
When phlebitis is associated to the formation of blood clots (thrombosis), usually in the deep veins of the legs, the condition is called thrombophlebitis.
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Last updated: 09-12-2005 02:39:13
