You will find very few disease processes that are as widespread or as typical as varicose veins, which are reported to affect up to 1 in 4 adults at some stage in their lives. Even though some people do seek remedies simply because of the unsightly cosmetic appearance of the undesireable veins; varicose veins can cause a multitude of signs and symptoms, discomfort and problems if not treated effectively.
There are many common myths "old wives tales" concerning varicoses, including:
"The prevalence of varicose veins is greater in ladies than it is in men"
This myth is mainly the result of poor study methodology, where doctors have merely counted the quantity of individuals who come and see them, without searching at sufferers who have not attended for consultation. This meant that when research into the prevalence of varicose undesireable veins was carries out in 1990 ladies were perceived to suffer much more frequently than males, as there is a tendency for ladies to be much more health conscious in general and more willing to see their GP.
More recent study, done at the end of the 1990's in Edinburgh, when people had been stopped on the streets and also the quantity of people with signs and signs and symptoms were counted, showed that statistically there was no real difference in between the number of men and the quantity of women suffering the comlaint.
"Pregnancy causes varicose veins"
This myth suggests that numerous women do not suffer signs and symptoms prior to their pregnancy, but the undesireable veins developed throughout or like a result of their pregnancy.
The statistical information showing an equal prevalence between males and ladies suggests that this might be untrue, as if pregnancy did trigger varicoses, then men should not have the same prevalence to the condition as ladies.
Additionally, if would make sense that, if pregnancy did cause varicoses, much more ladies would be observed for varicose veins throughout their child bearing years, but this is not the situation.
Research performed in Chester in the late 1990's using duplex ultrasound shows that only women who've lost their valve function prior to getting pregnant go on to get varicoses after pregnancy.
Ladies improve their blood volume by 40% throughout pregnancy, and this, along with the hormones throughout pregnancy that permit the tissues to stretch, means that varicoses that were not visible prior to pregnancy are now apparent.
The one exception to this rule is Pelvic Congestion Syndrome and women who go on to have a normal vaginal delivery of their baby. In this group of 2% of ladies during pregnancy the abnormal undesireable veins that are apparent as vulval, vaginal or leg veins are due to a problem higher up within the pelvis, namely the ovarian undesireable veins, pelvic veins or iliac veins as the trigger of the problem.
"Varicose undesireable veins are only cosmetic"
Visible varicose undesireable veins are normally blue or green, bulging through the skin from the leg.
As these are the undesireable veins that are seen people, including doctors, assume that these are the problems. In truth, these aren't the problem but the outcome of an underlying source.
The underlying trigger may be the leg muscle pump not working efficiently, and as this fails and gets worse so does the varicose veins. An simple analogy in understanding this is to think of the leg like a weed. If you just chop of f the top of the weed it will continue to keep coming back again time following time. Varicose veins are the top from the weed. Should you just take them out they will come back again time and time again. To treat a weed and also the varicose veins you have to deal with the root from the problem, the underlying concern of the truncal undesireable veins.
"Varicose will re-occur so no point in treating the varicose veins"
Varicose undesireable veins have frequently been referred to as cosmetic problems and a minor problem and we now know in most case this is wrong.
You will find a couple of reasons why varicose veins can arrive back:
* Inadequate treatment techniques
* Inadequate assessment
* Consultants with limited knowledge within the field
We know that the only accurate way to assess varicoses is by performing a comprehensive colour duplex ultrasound investigation to map the undesireable veins and their problems.
The old way of assessing varicoses was just by looking at the leg and guessing the veins that had been the issue. The inadequacies of this are apparent in that the wrong vein had been frequently treated.
Now with colour Doppler ultrasound techniques, we can not only accurately map the veins beforehand showing the exact problems but we can also use ultrasound throughout the procedures to ensure correct therapy.
The therapy that was the preferred method a couple of years ago was stripping of the underlying undesireable veins that were causing the varicoses. We now know that there is a high chance of these undesireable veins growing back again. Undesireable veins are part from the connective tissue and, in a similar fashion towards the way a cut to the hand will heal, if you cut a vein the vein tries to heal.
Localised bleeding from the operation acts as a 'food' for the vein and so it re grows via the blood, known as revascularisation (re growth) or neovascularisation (new growth).
Varicoses were quiet often treated by non-specialised consultants or junior staff as they were perceived to become a minor issue and as this kind of the situation was not given the respect it deserved.
With new methods this kind of as endovenous laser ablation and radiofrequency treatments, consultants becoming more specialised in varicose veins remedies and also the advance of diagnostic imaging we are now seeing varicose undesireable veins do not come back if they are treated correctly.
"Standing for lengthy periods causes varicose veins"
The cause of varicoses and venous related conditions such as thrombophlebitis (clotting of the blood within the superficial veins), venous eczema and venous ulcers is the failure of the leg pump, with the pump not being able to pump the blood back again out of the leg.
The failure of the leg pump is predominantly down towards the failure of the valves inside the veins. It has been shown that by the age of 9, 1 in 20 girls has already lost their valves and by 18, 1 in 9.
Just simply because the valves have stopped working though does not mean to say that varicose undesireable veins are instantly eminent, as damage is caused over time towards the tissues. So individuals who stand for long periods aren't much more prone to varicose undesireable veins, but standing make the issue arrive to light sooner.
The only actual commonly known fact is that varicose veins have a familial trait; that is to say that they tend to 'run within the family'. This does not mean to say everyone who has the issue running in their family will go on to develop signs and symptoms. Also some people don't have visible varicose veins but have the symptoms of muscle pump failure such as:
* Leg swelling
* Leg Aching
* Itching legs
* Venous eczema
* Haemosidering (brown staining)
* Lipomatosclerosis (Hardening of the skin and tissue)
* Bleeding undesireable veins
* Leg Ulcers
Why we get varicose veins and who will develop them are questions that are not yet fully answered or understood. We only realize the traits and the tendencies, but with more study and improvements in techniques and investigations hopefully we can not just understand varicose undesireable veins more clearly but also treat them in the best feasible way.
There are many common myths "old wives tales" concerning varicoses, including:
"The prevalence of varicose veins is greater in ladies than it is in men"
This myth is mainly the result of poor study methodology, where doctors have merely counted the quantity of individuals who come and see them, without searching at sufferers who have not attended for consultation. This meant that when research into the prevalence of varicose undesireable veins was carries out in 1990 ladies were perceived to suffer much more frequently than males, as there is a tendency for ladies to be much more health conscious in general and more willing to see their GP.
More recent study, done at the end of the 1990's in Edinburgh, when people had been stopped on the streets and also the quantity of people with signs and signs and symptoms were counted, showed that statistically there was no real difference in between the number of men and the quantity of women suffering the comlaint.
"Pregnancy causes varicose veins"
This myth suggests that numerous women do not suffer signs and symptoms prior to their pregnancy, but the undesireable veins developed throughout or like a result of their pregnancy.
The statistical information showing an equal prevalence between males and ladies suggests that this might be untrue, as if pregnancy did trigger varicoses, then men should not have the same prevalence to the condition as ladies.
Additionally, if would make sense that, if pregnancy did cause varicoses, much more ladies would be observed for varicose veins throughout their child bearing years, but this is not the situation.
Research performed in Chester in the late 1990's using duplex ultrasound shows that only women who've lost their valve function prior to getting pregnant go on to get varicoses after pregnancy.
Ladies improve their blood volume by 40% throughout pregnancy, and this, along with the hormones throughout pregnancy that permit the tissues to stretch, means that varicoses that were not visible prior to pregnancy are now apparent.
The one exception to this rule is Pelvic Congestion Syndrome and women who go on to have a normal vaginal delivery of their baby. In this group of 2% of ladies during pregnancy the abnormal undesireable veins that are apparent as vulval, vaginal or leg veins are due to a problem higher up within the pelvis, namely the ovarian undesireable veins, pelvic veins or iliac veins as the trigger of the problem.
"Varicose undesireable veins are only cosmetic"
Visible varicose undesireable veins are normally blue or green, bulging through the skin from the leg.
As these are the undesireable veins that are seen people, including doctors, assume that these are the problems. In truth, these aren't the problem but the outcome of an underlying source.
The underlying trigger may be the leg muscle pump not working efficiently, and as this fails and gets worse so does the varicose veins. An simple analogy in understanding this is to think of the leg like a weed. If you just chop of f the top of the weed it will continue to keep coming back again time following time. Varicose veins are the top from the weed. Should you just take them out they will come back again time and time again. To treat a weed and also the varicose veins you have to deal with the root from the problem, the underlying concern of the truncal undesireable veins.
"Varicose will re-occur so no point in treating the varicose veins"
Varicose undesireable veins have frequently been referred to as cosmetic problems and a minor problem and we now know in most case this is wrong.
You will find a couple of reasons why varicose veins can arrive back:
* Inadequate treatment techniques
* Inadequate assessment
* Consultants with limited knowledge within the field
We know that the only accurate way to assess varicoses is by performing a comprehensive colour duplex ultrasound investigation to map the undesireable veins and their problems.
The old way of assessing varicoses was just by looking at the leg and guessing the veins that had been the issue. The inadequacies of this are apparent in that the wrong vein had been frequently treated.
Now with colour Doppler ultrasound techniques, we can not only accurately map the veins beforehand showing the exact problems but we can also use ultrasound throughout the procedures to ensure correct therapy.
The therapy that was the preferred method a couple of years ago was stripping of the underlying undesireable veins that were causing the varicoses. We now know that there is a high chance of these undesireable veins growing back again. Undesireable veins are part from the connective tissue and, in a similar fashion towards the way a cut to the hand will heal, if you cut a vein the vein tries to heal.
Localised bleeding from the operation acts as a 'food' for the vein and so it re grows via the blood, known as revascularisation (re growth) or neovascularisation (new growth).
Varicoses were quiet often treated by non-specialised consultants or junior staff as they were perceived to become a minor issue and as this kind of the situation was not given the respect it deserved.
With new methods this kind of as endovenous laser ablation and radiofrequency treatments, consultants becoming more specialised in varicose veins remedies and also the advance of diagnostic imaging we are now seeing varicose undesireable veins do not come back if they are treated correctly.
"Standing for lengthy periods causes varicose veins"
The cause of varicoses and venous related conditions such as thrombophlebitis (clotting of the blood within the superficial veins), venous eczema and venous ulcers is the failure of the leg pump, with the pump not being able to pump the blood back again out of the leg.
The failure of the leg pump is predominantly down towards the failure of the valves inside the veins. It has been shown that by the age of 9, 1 in 20 girls has already lost their valves and by 18, 1 in 9.
Just simply because the valves have stopped working though does not mean to say that varicose undesireable veins are instantly eminent, as damage is caused over time towards the tissues. So individuals who stand for long periods aren't much more prone to varicose undesireable veins, but standing make the issue arrive to light sooner.
The only actual commonly known fact is that varicose veins have a familial trait; that is to say that they tend to 'run within the family'. This does not mean to say everyone who has the issue running in their family will go on to develop signs and symptoms. Also some people don't have visible varicose veins but have the symptoms of muscle pump failure such as:
* Leg swelling
* Leg Aching
* Itching legs
* Venous eczema
* Haemosidering (brown staining)
* Lipomatosclerosis (Hardening of the skin and tissue)
* Bleeding undesireable veins
* Leg Ulcers
Why we get varicose veins and who will develop them are questions that are not yet fully answered or understood. We only realize the traits and the tendencies, but with more study and improvements in techniques and investigations hopefully we can not just understand varicose undesireable veins more clearly but also treat them in the best feasible way.
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