When this happens, blood flow through the roughened, swollen vein may be slowed. Then thrombi, or blood clots, may develop and adhere to the wall of the inflamed vein. The resultant disorder called thrombophlebitis, and it more commonly occurs in the surface veins of the legs, and sometimes in the arms.
Women are slightly more susceptible than men to the disorder.
It is almost never a cause of death. You are more likely to get thrombophlebitis if you have varicose veins or, rarely, if you are undergoing medical treatment that involves piercing your veins with tubes or needles. The main symptoms of thrombophlebitis are pain, redness, tenderness, itching, and a hard, cordlike swelling under the skin along the length of the vein that is affected. If infection is present, you may also have a fever. If there is infection and it remains untreated, it can lead to blood poisoning or septicemia.