Monitor Varicose Veins with a Vein Reflux Test
According to the Vascular Disease Foundation, more than 24 million people in the US suffer from varicose veins, and 6 million suffer from skin changes. Varicose veins are common as people get older but aren’t an inevitable health problem. Most people develop varicose veins when they spend a lot of time on their feet, are pregnant, or have genetic predisposing factors.
Varicose veins aren’t an immediate danger, but it’s good to monitor your patients and be sure they are aware of the dangers that can occur if they are left untreated. Keep reading to learn more about the dangers of varicose veins and why a vein reflux test is vital for the well-being of your patients with varicose veins.
Causes of Varicose Veins
As people grow older, they begin to have more noticeable veins in their legs. This isn’t directly caused by aging, but it’s due to the increased blood pressure in the veins. As we age, our skin often becomes worn and thin, which leaves veins nearer the surface of the skin and makes them more noticeable.
Other factors may increase the pressure in veins, also making them protrude from the skin. These include:
- Being overweight or obese
- Old age
- Being female
- Inactivity
- Leg injuries
- Pregnancy
- Smoking
- Taking oral contraceptive pills
- Taking oral hormone replacement
- Those with an active job (i.e. teacher or nurse)
What Are the Dangers of Varicose Veins?
Varicose veins are typically harmless, but complications can occur if they are left untreated. It’s possible for varicose veins to cause ulcers, bleeding, or skin discoloration. If someone has severe varicose veins, it could be a sign of a larger problem.
Here are four possible health concerns resulting from varicose veins:
- Vein Rupture. Varicose veins are developed right under the skin’s surface, which is why they are easily seen. When the veins weaken, the pressure created by pooling blood can cause the vein to rupture. If the vein ruptures, which happens suddenly, it would cause the blood to go into the surrounding tissue beneath the skin.
- Venous ulcers and venous hypertension. These develop when there’s damage to the valves inside of the leg veins. These valves control the blood pressure inside your veins: for example, when you get up and walk, the blood pressure drops. If the pressure in your leg doesn’t drop while you walk, a person may develop venous hypertension.
- Hyperpigmentation. Discoloration can occur when you have varicose veins because the blood in your leg is pooling up and causing the veins to swell, increasing the pressure in your legs. This usually causes inflammation in your legs and redness, which can become brown skin discoloration. The discoloration isn’t dangerous, but the fact that you have blood pooling up in your leg is a problem.
- Venous reflux disease. A condition where saphenous vein valves are blocked or damaged, leading to blood pooling up in the toes, foot, and leg. If left untreated, venous reflux disease will worsen over time and can weaken vein walls.
The symptoms listed above occur after varicose veins go for a long time without being treated. Thankfully, it’s possible to treat varicose veins and avoid the dangerous complications.
Treating Varicose Veins to Prevent Venous Reflux Disease
It’s easy to treat varicose veins from home by using compression stockings and increasing activity levels. However, there are additional ways to treat or monitor varicose veins.
Venous reflux disease can happen when the valves in the leg veins are disease or damaged and can no longer close properly. A vein reflux test can be done to test how well the valves in the veins are working. This is important for all patients that have varicose veins, but especially for patients that have had varicose veins for a long period of time.
Partner with Vasolabs Today for Vein Reflux Testing
At Vasolabs, we work to save the lives of our patients by providing cardiovascular system testing. We partner with physicians to provide the most accurate, complete information possible in their primary goal of preventing and eliminating the need for treatment.
Vasolabs has a few core distinctions that make us stand out:
- We deliver certified sonographers to come to your office
- Tests that take only 15-20 minutes
- 50-70 images per test
- Detailed results within 48 hours
- Affordable prices so care is accessible for everyone
We want to partner with you today to include on-site venous reflux tests to better care for your patients with varicose veins. That way you can catch dangerous health complications from happening before it’s too late. We want each patient to live longer so they can enjoy the life and the people around them.
Contact us today to learn more about our partnerships with physicians and other cardiac tests we provide.