Varicose Veins
Comfortable and sedentary life-style, modern fashion, special postures adopted while performing professional duties have contributed to increased incidence of a set of diseases unheard of in the past. Varicose vein disease is one of them and is a direct result of sedentary life-style. The problem has become very common during these days. According to one estimate, 15 to 20 per cent of the population in India is suffering from varicose vein disease these days. Women suffer from this disease four times more than men. There is an increased risk of the development of varicose vein among young females who wear tight jeans and high-heeled sandals.
What is varicose vein?
Varicose veins are actually abnormal veins lying just beneath the skin of your leg and thigh. These veins are prominently visible, corkscrew like, entangled in one another. It looks as if a number of earthworms or blue-coloured spiders are lying under your leg skin. In these veins, the mechanism of carrying impure blood from the lower limb back to the heart gets deranged either due to effective valves of the vein or the absence of valves by birth. The function of these valves is to control the blood flow in the veins.
Varicose veins cause permanent swelling and heaviness in the feet. Skin of the legs develops black or blue-coloured patches. Thighs and legs, under the skin, develop snake or earthworm-like blue-coloured veins, resulting in the distortion of the shape of the leg and foot. Ultimately, the person is forced to lead a disabled life.
For Ayurveda, Ayurvedic Medicines and high quality Herbal Supplements visit www.ayurvediccure.com
The causes
In 40 per cent of the patients, varicose veins are due to hereditary factors and run into families and generations. The other important causative factors are obesity, lack of exercise, abnormal pressure on veins during pregnancy, abnormal life-style, prolonged standing and prolonged sitting with legs down. Due to advanced age, overweight and lack of exercise veins of legs become very weak and, therefore, develop into varicose veins. Due to obesity a lot of fat gets deposited in the leg. This weakens the support system of the veins, resulting into the veins becoming dilated and tortuous.
Today a lot of occupations and professions have sprung up where a person is required to either constantly stand up for a long time or made to sit with legs hanging down for a considerable time. Computer professionals, receptionists, security guards, traffic policemen, salesmen working at counters in shops and departmental stores and persons doing desk jobs day in and day out are the worst sufferers of varicose veins.
Why women are more susceptible to varicose veins?
Among females, due to some hormones, the walls of veins become enlarged and dilated. Besides, during pregnancy because of a lot of pressure on leg veins, these become weak and varicosed.
Fashion is playing havoc among women. High-heeled sandals and tight belts and panties are significant contributors to the development of varicose veins, as these items obstruct the normal flow of blood in the veins.
What to do if you have varicose veins?
In our country people are quite ignorant of this disease. Patients of varicose veins due to ignorance either go to a general surgeon, a general physician or a bone specialist for consultation. When varicose veins get complicated and turn into a varicose ulcer, these patients then go to either a skin specialist or a homoeopath for the treatment of so-called eczema and skin problem. Sometimes a varicose vein condition is misdiagnosed as arthritis or sciatica. If there is the suspicion of a varicose vein problem arises, never make delay in seeking consultation and treatment by a cardiovascular surgeon/vascular surgeon. Timely intervention may prevent further complications.
Treatment
For effective treatment of varicose veins, always go to a hospital where the services of a full-time vascular or a cardiovascular surgeon are available.
In the early stages of varicose veins, exercise and medical treatment, including sclerotherapy, are sufficient.
In advanced stages of varicose veins, surgery is required. There are various surgical treatments like phlebectomy and vein stripping. There are no harmful effects on the body or legs after the removal of varicose veins.
Sometimes special techniques like endoscopy are used for varicose veins operation, especially in the cases of varicose ulcer. In this technique, connecting channels are tied under endoscopic vision to prevent the pooling of impure blood in the feet to minimise the chances of recurrence of ulcers.
In certain cases, a new laser technique perfected at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital is also employed for varicose veins treatment, which shortens the hospital stay and minimises the number of cuts in the skin.
The writer is Senior Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeon, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi.
For Ayurveda, Ayurvedic Medicines and high quality Herbal Supplements visit www.ayurvediccure.com
What is varicose vein?
Varicose veins are actually abnormal veins lying just beneath the skin of your leg and thigh. These veins are prominently visible, corkscrew like, entangled in one another. It looks as if a number of earthworms or blue-coloured spiders are lying under your leg skin. In these veins, the mechanism of carrying impure blood from the lower limb back to the heart gets deranged either due to effective valves of the vein or the absence of valves by birth. The function of these valves is to control the blood flow in the veins.
Varicose veins cause permanent swelling and heaviness in the feet. Skin of the legs develops black or blue-coloured patches. Thighs and legs, under the skin, develop snake or earthworm-like blue-coloured veins, resulting in the distortion of the shape of the leg and foot. Ultimately, the person is forced to lead a disabled life.
For Ayurveda, Ayurvedic Medicines and high quality Herbal Supplements visit www.ayurvediccure.com
The causes
In 40 per cent of the patients, varicose veins are due to hereditary factors and run into families and generations. The other important causative factors are obesity, lack of exercise, abnormal pressure on veins during pregnancy, abnormal life-style, prolonged standing and prolonged sitting with legs down. Due to advanced age, overweight and lack of exercise veins of legs become very weak and, therefore, develop into varicose veins. Due to obesity a lot of fat gets deposited in the leg. This weakens the support system of the veins, resulting into the veins becoming dilated and tortuous.
Today a lot of occupations and professions have sprung up where a person is required to either constantly stand up for a long time or made to sit with legs hanging down for a considerable time. Computer professionals, receptionists, security guards, traffic policemen, salesmen working at counters in shops and departmental stores and persons doing desk jobs day in and day out are the worst sufferers of varicose veins.
Why women are more susceptible to varicose veins?
Among females, due to some hormones, the walls of veins become enlarged and dilated. Besides, during pregnancy because of a lot of pressure on leg veins, these become weak and varicosed.
Fashion is playing havoc among women. High-heeled sandals and tight belts and panties are significant contributors to the development of varicose veins, as these items obstruct the normal flow of blood in the veins.
What to do if you have varicose veins?
In our country people are quite ignorant of this disease. Patients of varicose veins due to ignorance either go to a general surgeon, a general physician or a bone specialist for consultation. When varicose veins get complicated and turn into a varicose ulcer, these patients then go to either a skin specialist or a homoeopath for the treatment of so-called eczema and skin problem. Sometimes a varicose vein condition is misdiagnosed as arthritis or sciatica. If there is the suspicion of a varicose vein problem arises, never make delay in seeking consultation and treatment by a cardiovascular surgeon/vascular surgeon. Timely intervention may prevent further complications.
Treatment
For effective treatment of varicose veins, always go to a hospital where the services of a full-time vascular or a cardiovascular surgeon are available.
In the early stages of varicose veins, exercise and medical treatment, including sclerotherapy, are sufficient.
In advanced stages of varicose veins, surgery is required. There are various surgical treatments like phlebectomy and vein stripping. There are no harmful effects on the body or legs after the removal of varicose veins.
Sometimes special techniques like endoscopy are used for varicose veins operation, especially in the cases of varicose ulcer. In this technique, connecting channels are tied under endoscopic vision to prevent the pooling of impure blood in the feet to minimise the chances of recurrence of ulcers.
In certain cases, a new laser technique perfected at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital is also employed for varicose veins treatment, which shortens the hospital stay and minimises the number of cuts in the skin.
The writer is Senior Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeon, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi.
For Ayurveda, Ayurvedic Medicines and high quality Herbal Supplements visit www.ayurvediccure.com
posted by Health Blog @ 10:05 AM
1 Comments:
At June 14, 2007 11:29 AM,
Lucia said…
There are several things you can do the ease the pain caused by varicose veins. If none of these remedies help, or if your condition is more severe, seek medical help for a varicose vein treatment: Sclerotherapy in which your doctor injects your veins with a solution that closes your veins. This procedure is quite effective, is performed correctly. Then, there is the laser surgery, used to close off smaller veins, and the catheter-assisted procedure, in which your doctor inserts a small thin tube in your vein, heating the tip of this catheter. While it is being pulled out. The heat destroys the vein by causing it to seal shut. These are only a few methods to treat varicose veins, for good.
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