Causes and prevention
Chicago Vein Institute
Causes and prevention of diseased veins
The Chicago Vein Institute Sarajevo provides options for minimally invasive treatments, including endovenous laser ablation (EVLA), ambulatory phlebectomy, ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy, surface sclerotherapy, and elastic compression stockings.
Prevention of Leg Vein Diseases
- Elevate your legs: Elevate your legs as much as possible, with your feet above the level of your heart, to help blood flow back to the heart.
- Regular exercise: Activities such as walking, climbing stairs, biking, and swimming are excellent exercises that also keep the blood moving in your calf muscles. This can reduce blood pooling in the calves and alleviate some of the pressure on the veins. It is recommended to exercise for at least 30 minutes every day.
- Keep your legs in motion: Avoid prolonged periods of standing or sitting. When traveling, flex your ankles or take short walks to improve blood circulation.
- Compression stockings: Compression stockings are used to keep pressure applied evenly to the lower legs. This helps to maintain healthy blood flow and reduce any discomfort or swelling that comes along with vein disease or recovery from a vein procedure. If you have a condition causing unhealthy blood flow in your legs, they could be recommended by a vein doctor. They can also be recommended as a way to help ease recovery after you have a procedure done. Varicose veins are one of the most common vein disorders that call for compression stockings to be worn.
- Maintain an ideal body weight: Discover your ideal body weight for your height and body type, and maintain that weight to reduce additional pressure on your legs.
- Try to avoid situations where your legs are exposed to excessive heat: Such as saunas and hot baths. Heat can lead to increased vein dilation, making it easier for blood to pool in the veins.
- Eat low-salt, high-fiber foods: To prevent any additional pressure on the veins that may result from water retention and constipation.
Risk Factors for Vein Disease
Varicose, spider veins and other vein problems are very common and can affect anyone. Although there is not one specific cause of varicose veins, there are various risk factors that increase your likelihood of developing these vascular conditions.
- Heredity – People with a family history of varicose and spider veins are significantly more prone to these conditions. About half of all people who have varicose veins have a family member who has them as well.
- Age – Varicose veins are common in patients between the ages of 18 and 35. As you get older, the valves in your veins might weaken, therefore increasing risk of developing varicose veins.
- Obesity – Everyone understands that obesity is often associated with longterm health issues. And being overweight also puts extra pressure on veins, increasing your risk of developing varicose veins.
- Gender – Women are at greater risk of developing vein disease due to hormonal changes that occur during puberty, pregnancy, and menopause. Birth control, containing estrogen and progesterone also increase vein disease risk.
- Inactivity – People who sit or stand for a prolonged period of time due to their daily activities are more susceptible to varicose veins. Lack of movement forces your veins to work harder to pump blood back to the heart.
- Pregnancy – During pregnancy there is more blood in the body, causing veins to enlarge. The hormones released in a woman’s body during pregnancy can weaken vein walls, which can lead to valve dysfunction and blood pooling.
- Trauma – Any trauma to the leg, due to a recent surgery or an injury, could cause your valves to malfunction. There are other factors of a person’s lifestyle or biology that may contribute to the development of varicose and spider veins. These include: Incompetent perforating veins, Arteriovenous communication, Vein wall weakness, Vein wall metabolic syndrome, Post thrombotic syndrome, Superficial thrombophlebitis, Deep vein thrombosis, May-Thurner Syndrome.
Chicago Vein Institute
Second heart and varicose and spider veins``
The ``second heart`` has the task of pushing deoxygenated blood back up to the heart and lungs to be recirculated throughout the body. Gravity helps ensure that there is no reflux, or backflow of blood, into the legs. The muscles in the lower leg and calf contract to pump blood back up, while valves open and close, opposing the force of gravity to prevent reflux, or backflow of blood, into the legs.
Insufficiency of the lower circulatory system
When valve dysfunction occurs, the second heart system fails to function properly. Blood flows back into the veins, leading to blood pooling. The pressure resulting from this pooling in the veins leads to swelling of the superficial veins. Depending on the severity of the issue, this can lead to various vascular conditions, including varicose veins and spider veins.