Varicose Veins: Meaning, Diagnosis and Overview

What is Varicose Veins?

Varicose veins are swollen, twisted, and enlarged veins that you can see under the skin. They usually appear in the legs, but can occur in other parts of the body.
Valves in your veins keep blood flowing from your legs up toward your heart. When these valves do not work as they should, blood collects in your legs, and pressure builds up. The veins become weak, large, and twisted.

Recovery Time

A persons recovery time is usually between two to four weeks depending on how many veins were stripped and where they were located.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is mainly done by physical examination and in some cases ultrasound scan (Doppler test and colour duplex ultrasound scan) may be recommended.

FAQs prepared by doctor

1. What are varicose veins?
Varicose veins are dilated, tortuous superficial veins

2. How does varicose vein happen?
Valves in your veins keep blood flowing from your legs up toward your heart. When these valves do not work as they should, blood collects in your legs, and pressure builds up. The veins become weak, large, and twisted.

3. Why is varicose prevalent in left side?
The greater commonness of varicose veins in the left leg is due to the fact that at the brim of the pelvis the descending colon crosses over the left external iliac vein bringing up the blood from the left leg, and so the colon may partially obstruct the blood-flow from the leg.

4. What shall one do to prevent varicosity in pregnancy?
Sleep on left side. Wedge a pillow behind back to keep tilted to the left and elevate feet with a pillow. Since the inferior vena cava is on the right side, lying on left side relieves the vein of the weight of the uterus, thus decreasing pressure on the veins in legs and feet.

5. Why does smoking causes varicosity?
Constant smokingÿ deposits chemicals into the blood stream that actually thicken blood and reduce oxygen, slowing blood flow and also Nicotine causes arteries to harden and narrow, making blood clots more likely to occur




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