Varicose Veins(नसों की बीमारी): Symptoms, Causes & Treatment

In this video SimpliHealth expert General Surgeon Dr. Ravul Jindal will talk about a very important topic, Varicose Veins(नसों की बीमारी) and its causes, symptoms, treatment & prevention. You must have heard about this. Varicose veins happen because the valves of the veins that are deoxygenated to the legs are damaged. 

What are varicose veins? 

If thick dilated blue veins are visible on the legs when you stand and disappear when you sit, then most probably you have varicose veins. 

Varicose Veins Symptoms

1. People with varicose veins would experience dull aching pain in their legs if they are standing for long hours. 
2. There can be bleeding cases as well, as the veins tend to burst if they grow big. 
3. It can form clots if they have it for prolonged periods. 
4. The skin at the ankle can suffer damage because of the pressure of the veins. 
5. The patient may suffer from venous ulcers, which can cause a lot of pain. 

Why does this happen? 

Varicose veins happen generally because of genetic reasons. Genetically, if one of your parents has varicose veins, then there is a 25-30% chance that you might get varicose veins too. If your mother and father both suffer from varicose veins then there is a 45-50% chance of you suffering from the same. 

Varicose Veins Risk Factors

• Pregnancy: There are some risk factors, like pregnancy. If the woman has 5 or 6 babies then she might be at risk of getting varicose veins. 
• Age: Chances of getting varicose veins become more with growing age. 

• Long standing hours: People who stand for long periods of time. 

• • Working out: People who work out in the gym. 

• Height: People who are tall. If you are more than 6 feet tall, then you might be at risk of getting varicose veins. 

Varicose Veins Diagnosis

The diagnosis of varicose veins is very simple. Stand upright and if you see thick dilated veins on your legs then you have varicose veins. There is a very simple ultrasound test for this. This helps us detect veins with damaged valves and then treat them accordingly. 

Varicose Veins Treatment

There is no medication for this as such. But science has shown micronized purified flavonoid fraction, market name Daflon, is available in the market, to have reduced the symptoms of varicose veins. But we are not sure if it treats the disease itself. 

The best treatment for varicose veins is laser or glue. In both these techniques, we enter the vein with a needle, and guided by an ultrasound we fix the damaged walls. 

This procedure hardly takes 15-20 mins and is performed under local anesthesia. The patient can walk home after the surgery and get back to his normal life. It is a very safe and simple procedure, with great results. 

Stockings 

People often ask about stockings. Stocking is a compression garment that we ask the patient to wear. This prevents clotting and swelling. This helps reduce the symptoms of varicose veins. But people need to be clear, they do not cure varicose veins. Stocking is a symptomatic treatment. Once the laser treatment is done, then the patient won’t need stockings. 

Prevention

The last question is prevention as we do not know the exact cause of varicose veins. And as it is genetic, we cannot prevent varicose veins completely. Maintaining a proper weight, going on walks, and exercising can reduce getting varicose veins.