Varicose veins are caused by the failure of valves in the veins which are responsible for ensuring that blood only flows in one direction around the body. They frequently appear close to the surface on the back of the legs, because these veins experience particularly high pressure blood flow as the blood must flow back up to the heart against gravity. Fortunately, varicose veins are rarely a serious medical condition but they are unsightly and they can be painful which mandates treatment to alleviate the condition.

Symptoms of Varicose Veins

Symptoms include aching legs, frequently accompanied by a feeling of heaviness and typically, this is felt most acutely at night or after exercising. There may also be a visual reference in the form of “spider veins” which show through to the surface as the veins become twisted and distorted due to losing structural integrity and becoming weaker.

As the valves weaken, effective circulation becomes problematical and so issues with blood pooling in the lower extremities becomes an issue. This leads to swollen ankles and possibly lower legs which become enlarged due to blood pooling there.

The skin may become discolored and adopt a bruised look with a bluish/brown tinge close to the affected veins. In addition, the area may become itchy and dry, which if may lead to excessive scratching by the patient and in turn lead to ulceration which can be extremely painful. In addition, irritation builds up due to the collection of waste products which would normally be removed by the proper blood circulation.

The patient may also experience cramps after sitting still and making an effort to get up or engaging in sudden movement. In addition, cuts and scrapes to the area may also need a much longer period to heal and they may bleed excessively.

In extreme cases, the fat around the ankle may become hardened and this causes the skin to shrink and shrivel. In addition, white patches may occur around the ankles which resemble scar tissue which is known as atrophie blanche.

Staging Varicose Veins

Varicose veins are “staged”, i.e. the surgeon will assess what stage the condition has reached and use the staging assessment as the basis for delivering medical therapy to the patient.

The stages are:

C0 – no visible signs of the condition;

C1 – appearance of spider veins (reticular or telangectasia);

C2 – varicose veins are evident;

C3 – edema is present;

C4a – skin changes in pigmentation or presence of eczema;

C4b – advanced skin changes – e.g. atrophie blanche;

C5 – the same as C4 but with healed ulcers; and

C6 – presence of active ulcers.

Varicose Vein Complications

Varicose veins are most frequently benign, however there are complications which may arise as a consequence of leaving the condition untreated. The major issue is in connection with the poor circulation of blood through the body, particularly the lower limbs and extremities. This leads directly and indirectly to pain, inability to walk properly, difficulty in standing (and thus an inability to perform work) as well as a host of unpleasant skin conditions including dermatitis and eczema.

Ulcers can be particularly serious, as well as painful, and it is important that these are treated both for their immediate presentation of symptoms as well as the underlying cause to prevent recurrence. There is some evidence that untreated varicose veins may contribute to an increase in malignant growths (cancer) where ulcers are present.

Inability of the skin to heal and stop excessive bleeding is also an issue, particularly amongst elderly patients. Clotting is also an issue for sufferers of all ages, especially if the affected veins are the deep veins, i.e. those situated deep within the legs and not close to the surface (which is what we typically can see). This clotting can lead to cardiac and stroke incidents which may be fatal.

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Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: varicose veins, treating varicose veins, dangers of untreated varicose veins