When blood is circulated through the body, it must be pumped back up against gravity towards the heart. With the help of muscles and tiny mechanisms in the veins called valves, the blood is pushed along its course to the heart. A valve is much like a one-way street or pair of doors, opening to allow blood to pass, then closing to prevent blood from flowing backwards. When a valve malfunctions and allows blood to pool or flow backwards, the veins stretch and enlarge. As a result, previously healthy veins become varicose veins.
The word varicose mean “twisted”, one of many ways in which varicose veins may appear. They may also look gnarled and enlarged, thick and dark blue, or seem to spread over the skin like tiny red webs. Regardless of their manifestation, varicose veins are unsightly and normally occur in the legs.
Detecting Varicose Veins:
A person may develop varicose veins for a variety of reasons. The majority of these reasons usually involve pressure on the legs or poor blood circulation. Being pregnant, standing for long periods of time, crossing the legs, being obese, or simply having older valves more susceptible to damage because advanced age are all factors that increase one’s chances of developing varicose veins.
Varicose veins can usually be detected with a variety of symptoms, although for many people, varicose veins are considered a cosmetic problem and cause no pain or discomfort. Therefore, these symptoms may or may not appear depending on the type of varicose vein that has formed and how severe it is:
– A feeling of heaviness in the legs
– Aching in the legs
– Itching around the affected vein
– Easily fatigued legs
– Numbness in the legs
– Cramping in the legs
– Large, bulging veins
People with varicose veins who experience these symptoms may notice that they intensify in the evening or night, after long days of standing or sitting. Women may first experience these symptoms of varicose veins when they become pregnant or during their periods. The symptoms may return when these events occur.
Many people may only realize they have developed varicose veins by seeing them. Thick, twisted, gnarled, or bulging veins may appear to some greater or lesser degree on the legs. Large dark blue varicose veins may appear to branch over the legs, while some may have “spider veins”; a form of varicose vein marked by tiny red strands that appear on the face as well as the legs.
While for most people varicose veins are harmless but unsightly, some may develop complications with varicose veins, or they may indicate a more serious medical problem.
Complications with Varicose Veins:
While complications or serious medical problems that appear with varicose veins are rare, they do have the potential to occur. Because varicose veins are formed when a valve in the vein malfunctions, they may also be an indication of additional blood circulation, vein, or valve problems. If these potential complications do arise, the person experiencing them should see their doctor for evaluation:
– Superficial Phlebitis
Superficial phlebitis is a medical condition in which a vein of the superficial vein system becomes inflamed, or swollen. Usually an inflamed vein will develop a blood clot. Normally a blood clot in an inflamed superficial vein does not prevent blood from flowing, as the superficial vein system is comprised of many routes, and over time this condition heals naturally. There is a slight possibility however of the blood clot moving to a larger vein and posing a more serious risk.
– Blood clots
A varicose vein complication caused by a possible blood clot can pose serious risks. Unlike blood clots developed with superficial phlebitis, which are generally dissolved naturally over time, those with varicose veins can develop serious blood clots which may travel to the heart and cause death by blocking large veins in the heart and lungs. If a person with varicose veins is experiencing these symptoms, they should see a doctor immediately:
o Inflammation or swelling of the calf and/or leg;
o Discoloration or the appearance of an ulcer on the skin;
o Unexplainable pain;
o Warmth on the affected sight.
If varicose veins appear, it does not necessarily mean that the person with them has developed a blood clot. While the possibility of developing a blood clot is increased when a person has varicose veins, they do not always go had in hand.
For many, the symptoms and complications of varicose veins may never appear, but knowing both the symptoms and potential complications of varicose veins is a wise and possibly life-saving effort for those with varicose veins.