I have high blood pressure 169/90  and vericose veins. Recently my knee started hurting and my leg swelled up. I elevated my leg and used a heating pad. The swelling went down but the pain in myknee is still present. The vericose veins are not as noticeable. Is this a sign of a blood clot? I am not onany medication.
Hello. Thank you for your question and welcome to Chat Doctor. I understand your concern. The blood pressure should be kept within normal range, i.e. under 140/90 mmHg. Therefore, I recommend you to discuss with your treating cardiologist or internal medicine specialist, to lower your blood pressure. Beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers or angiotensinogen converting enzyme inhibitors would be a reasonable approach, at this moment. As for the various veins, I cannot conclusively say that this pain is caused from this condition. Even if it is a blood clot, it could be accompanied also with coldness and/or numbness and/or discoloration of the extremity. However, my opinion is that you should undergo an echo Doppler of the leg arteries and/or an Anglo computed tomography with contrast, of the blood vessels of the leg. I suggest you to further consult a vascular surgeon, to determine the stage of various veins, and plan further treatment, because the strategy of the treatment depends on the stage of this condition. A baby aspirin a day and quitting smoking would be warranted at this moment. I hope I was helpful with my answer. Feel free to ask again. Best regards,