Types of Varicose Veins & Diagnosis

What are Varicose Veins?

Veins carry blood from various parts of our body toward the heart through a one-way valve pipes call veins. When there is a weakness in the vein wall or a faulty valve, the valve stretches and no longer closes properly. The veins become visibly enlarged, filled with blood that does not flow normally, causing pain, swelling, discoloration, sores that won’t heal, blood clots and other problems, in addition to their unsightly appearance.

These enlarged veins are commonly called Spider veins or varicose veins. Spider veins are small red, blue or purple veins on the surface of the skin. Varicose veins are larger distended veins that are located somewhat deeper than spider veins. Reticular veins are medium size, greenish , non bulging, yet abnormally visible veins, seen most commonly behind the knees and on the outer surface of the thighs, and they represent an early stage varicose veins.

There are many factors that contribute to the development of these unsightly veins including pregnancy, weight gain, prolonged standing, and genetics.

Heredity is the number one contributing factor causing varicose and spider veins. Women are more likely to suffer from these abnormal leg veins. Up to 50% of American women may be affected. Hormonal factors including puberty, pregnancy, menopause, and the use of birth control pills, Estrogen, and Progesterone ( female hormones ) affect the disease. It is very common for pregnant women to develop varicose veins during the first trimester. Pregnancy causes increases in hormone levels and blood volume which in turn cause veins to enlarge. In addition, the enlarged uterus causes increased pressure on the veins. Varicose veins due to pregnancy often improve within 3 months after delivery. However, with successive pregnancies, these abnormal veins are more likely to remain.

Types Of Varicose Veins

SPIDER VEINS

Spider veins – known in the medical world as telangiectasias are small, thin veins that lie close to the surface of the skin. Although these super-fine veins are connected with the larger venous system, they are not an essential part of it.

RETICULAR VEINS

Reticular veins are medium size (1 to 4 mm) greenish, flat veins seen mostly in the legs at the outer aspect of the thigh or behind the knee and in the calf region, they are not quite large or protruding (bulging) veins but they could be unsightly.

VERICOSE VEINS

a Weakened vein wall or a faulty valve, the valve stretches and no longer closes properly. The veins become visibly enlarged, filled with blood that does not flow normally, causing pain, swelling, discoloration and other problems.

Symptoms for Varicose Veins

You do not need to have the visible varicose veins but you may have the other symptoms like

heavy and uncomfortable legs after standing for a long time
swollen feet and ankles
burning or throbbing in your legs or feet
muscle cramps in your legs (particularly at night)
dry, itchy and thin skin over the affected vein Usually, symptoms are worse during warm weather and lengthy periods of standing and sitting.

Risk factors

Gender

Women are more likely to be affected by varicose veins than men. Research suggests that this may be because female hormones tend to relax the walls of veins, making the valves more prone to leakage.

Genetics

You are more at risk of developing varicose veins if a close family member has it.

Age

As a person gets older, veins start to loose their elasticity, and the valves within them stop working properly as well.

Being overweight

Being overweight puts extra pressure on the veins, which means that they need to work harder in order to send the blood back to the heart. This increases pressure on the valves, making them more prone to leaking.

Occupation

Some research suggests that jobs which require long periods of standing may increase your risk of getting varicose veins. This is because the leg muscle pump function is not working during the standing position.

Pregnancy

Pregnancy When you are pregnant, the amount of blood in your body increases to help support your growing baby. This puts an extra strain on your circulatory system. Increased hormone levels during pregnancy also cause the muscular walls of your blood vessels to relax. Both of these factors may increase your risk of developing varicose veins. Varicose veins may also develop during pregnancy as your uterus (womb) starts to grow. Your expanding uterus puts pressure on the veins in, which can cause them to become varicose. Although being pregnant may increase your risk of developing varicose veins, most women will ﬁnd that their condition improves considerably after their delivery.

Complications

Edema

Swollen ankle and lower legs.

Thrombosis

Blood clotting within the affected veins.

Bleeding

Varicose veins which form near the surface of your skin can sometimes bleed if you cut or bump your leg.

Varicose eczemat

Varicose eczema is a condition that causes your skin to be red, scaly and ﬂaky. You may also develop blisters and crusting of your skin.

Lipodermatosclerosis

Lipodermatosclerosis causes your skin to become hardened and tight, and you may ﬁnd that it turns a reddened or brown color. The condition usually affects the calf area.

Venous ulcers

A venous ulcer develops when there is increased pressure in the veins on the lower leg. This causes ﬂuid to seep out of the vein and collect under the skin. This ﬂuid can cause the skin to thicken, swell and eventually break down to form an ulcer. Venous ulcers are most commonly found above the ankle area.

Diagnosis

Seek specialist advice if you are experiencing leg pain or discomfort, if the skin over your veins is sore or if the aching in your legs is causing irritation at night and disturbing your sleep.

Varicose veins are not diagnosed merely by their appearance. Your specialist physician will take your history and then examine your legs while you are standing to check for any signs of swelling and bulging veins.

There are procedures which can be utilized to investigate vein insufﬁciencies, and the most accurate one of those is the: Doppler/Duplex Ultrasound Scan Considered to be the standard procedure to diagnose venous insufﬁciencies, it is a painless procedure that uses high frequency sound waves to produce an image and provide information about the direction of the blood ﬂow in your veins.

This can give an indication of how well the valves work within the veins. The Doppler test can also be used to check for any blood clots or obstructions in your veins. This allows the specialist to look for any abnormalities in your veins and plan what type of treatment or management is best for you during the examination.

Types of Varicose Veins & Diagnosis