Varicose Vein Disease - A Look at Common Misconceptions in Varicose Vein Myths

 Varicose Vein Disease  - A Look at Common Misconceptions in Varicose Vein Myths

There are very few disease processes as widespread or as common as varicose veins, which are thought to affect up to 1 in 4 adults at some stage in their life. Although some people seek treatment simply because of the unsightly cosmetic appearance of the veins; Varicose veins can cause a host of symptoms, discomfort, and problems if not treated effectively.

There are many common "old wives' tales" myths about varicose veins, including:

"The prevalence of varicose veins is higher in women than in men"

This myth is mainly the result of poor research methodology, where doctors simply counted the number of people who come to see them, without looking at patients who did not show up for consultation. This meant that when research on the prevalence of varicose veins was conducted in 1990, women were seen to be in pain more often than men, as women tend to be more health-conscious in general and more willing to see their doctor. generalist.

More recent research, carried out in the late 1990s in Edinburgh, when people were pulled over on the streets and the number of people with signs and symptoms was counted, showed that statistically there was no real difference between the number of men and the number of women suffering from the complaint.

"Pregnancy causes varicose veins"

This myth suggests that many women do not experience symptoms before their pregnancy, but that the veins have developed during or as a result of their pregnancy.

Statistical information showing equal prevalence between men and women suggests that this could be wrong, because if pregnancy causes varicose veins, then men should not have the same prevalence of the disease as women.

Also, it would make sense that if the pregnancy caused varicose veins, more women would be seen for varicose veins during their childbearing years, but this is not the case.

Research done in Chester in the late 1990s using duplex ultrasound shows that only women who lost valve function before becoming pregnant have varicose veins after pregnancy.

Women increase their blood volume by 40% during pregnancy, which, along with hormones during pregnancy that allow the tissue to stretch, means that varicose veins that were not visible before pregnancy are now apparent.

The only exception to this rule is pelvic congestion syndrome and women who normally give birth vaginally. In this 2% group of women during pregnancy, the abnormal veins appear in the form of vulvar, vaginal or leg veins are due to a problem higher up in the pelvis, namely the ovarian, pelvic, or iliac veins as the cause of the problem.

"Varicose veins are only cosmetic"

Visible varicose veins are normally blue or green, bulging through the skin on the leg.

Since these are the veins that we see, people, including doctors, assume these are the problems. In fact, this is not the problem but the result of an underlying source.

The underlying cause is that the muscle pump in the leg is not working effectively, and as this fails and gets worse, so are varicose veins. An easy analogy to understand this is to think of the leg as a weed. If you only cut the top of the grass, it will keep coming back time and time again. Varicose veins are at the top of the weed. If you just take them out, they'll come back again and again. To treat a weed and varicose veins, you need to treat the root of the problem, the underlying problem with the veins in the trunk.

"The varicose veins will recur therefore useless to treat varicose veins"

Varicose veins have often been referred to as cosmetic issues and a minor issue and we now know that in most cases this is wrong.

There are several reasons why varicose veins can come back:

Inadequate treatment techniques

Inadequate assessment

Consultants with limited knowledge in the field

We know that the only accurate way to assess varicose veins is to perform a full-color duplex ultrasound survey to map the veins and their problems.

The old way to assess varicose veins was to simply look at the leg and guess which veins were the problem. The shortcomings of this are evident in that the bad vein has often been treated.

Now, with color Doppler ultrasound techniques, we can not only accurately map the veins in advance showing the exact problems, but we can also use ultrasound during the procedures to ensure correct treatment.

The treatment that was the preferred method a few years ago was the stripping of the underlying veins that cause varicose veins. We now know that there is a good chance that these veins will grow back. Veins are part of connective tissue, and just like a cut on your hand will heal, if you cut a vein, the vein is trying to heal.

The localized bleeding from the operation acts as a “food” for the vein and thus it pushes back into the blood, called revascularization (re-growth) or neovascularization (new growth).

Varicose veins were often treated by lay consultants or junior staff, as they were seen as a minor problem, and as such the disease had not received the respect it deserved.

With new techniques like endovenous laser ablation and radiofrequency treatments, consultants increasingly specializing in varicose vein treatments, and the advancement of diagnostic imaging we now see that varicose veins do not come back if they are. handled properly.

"Standing for long periods causes varicose veins"

The cause of varicose veins and venous conditions such as thrombophlebitis (coagulation of blood in the superficial veins), venous eczema, and venous ulcers is the failure of the leg pump, as the pump cannot pump blood out of it. leg.

The failure of the leg pump is mainly due to the failure of the valves inside the veins. It has been shown that by the age of 9, 1 in 20 girls have already lost their valve and by the age of 18, 1 in 9 girls.

Just because the valves have stopped working doesn't mean that varicose veins are immediately prominent, as tissue damage is done over time. So, people who stand for long periods of time are not more prone to varicose veins, but when standing, the problem manifests itself earlier.

The only fact really is known is that varicose veins have a family character; that is, they tend to "run in the family". This does not mean that everyone in their family who has the problem will continue to develop symptoms. Additionally, some people do not have visible varicose veins but have symptoms of muscle pump failure such as:

Swelling of the legs

Painful leg

Itchy legs

Venous eczema

Hemosidia (brown coloration)

Lipomatosclerosis (hardening of the skin and tissues)

Bleeding veins

Leg ulcers

Why we have varicose veins and who will develop them are questions that are not yet fully answered or understood. We only understand the traits and trends, but with more research and improvements in techniques and investigations, we hope not only to be able to understand varicose veins more clearly but also to treat them in the best possible way.

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