The cases of peripheral vascular disease are rapidly increasing in India. This is mainly due to modern lifestyle and heredity factors. Most of us are unaware of its signs and thus delay seeking treatment.
Peripheral vascular diseases pertain to the blood vessels of the body other than those of the heart and brain. Varicose veins is one such condition of the blood vessels where the valves present in the veins fail to function properly leading to improper flow of blood back to the heart. This results in pooling or accumulation of blood and fluid in one part of the body, commonly veins of legs.
The Early Stages of Vein Disease
Like many conditions, vein disease comes in stages. At first, you may not notice the signs and symptoms, but if you are at risk for vein disease—which we will discuss shortly—it is important to assess yourself. Start by looking for subtle changes in your legs.
Disease in the early stages
- Spider veins — These small, web-like veins or thin blood vessels are located near the surface of your skin. Spider veins look like scattered or tangled clusters of wispy red or purplish lines. Spider veins are flat. In other words, when running your hand over these veins, you will not feel bulging or swelling.
- Varicose Veins — Unlike spider veins, varicose veins become bulging and ropy. People generally first notice their vein disease after the appearance of varicose veins. Not only are varicose veins unsightly, but they are often painful. Many people seek medical intervention when varicose veins contribute to leg pain, itching, tingling, swelling, restlessness, and a general heaviness in the legs.
Advanced stages of varicose veins
Let’s look at the stages of vein disease, the signs and the symptoms and discover what you can do to reduce your risks and when you should take action.
In some cases, people with vein disease delay seeking treatment. However, the later stages of vein disease can significantly impair life quality. In the later stages, you may find it more difficult to relieve symptoms using over-the-counter medications or resting your legs.
- Swelling– the veins may often become swollen. When leg veins are not working properly, the body is unable to absorb fluid and your legs will often swell.
- Skin changes and swelling—Painful varicose veins can lead to leg swelling and skin discoloration. The pooling of bodily fluids can also change the skin color on your legs, often in the ankle area. Your skin may appear red or pale. At this stage in vein disease, it is easier to develop open sores—sores that take time to heal or sores that recur.
- Venous leg ulcers—These ulcers often follow leg swelling and skin discoloration. At this point, there is inadequate blood flow in the veins to provide nutrients to the skin to aid in healing. The injured skin heals very slowly or not at all. Venous leg ulcers may become chronic, painful, and debilitating, and since they are open wounds, they can also introduce bacteria into your legs, causing further pain and increasing the odds of infection.
Symptoms
Varicose veins are known to have some specific symptoms. Your legs may feel heavy, painful while standing and you will find relief after lying down. You may experience burning, throbbing or itchy sensation around these veins. These symptoms may be aggravated on sitting or standing for long hours.
Treatment
When the symptoms of varicose veins are advanced, the treatment of choice is mainly surgical. Surgery is a word that easily scares away most people.
Various treatment options have been used to cure varicose veins. All of this is made easy with Endovenous Laser Therapy for varicose veins.
Endovenous Laser Treatment is one of the newest techniques with a success rate of more than 98%. Firstly, the doctor will have a look at the visible veins and the painful areas of the legs. Once this has been assessed, the doctor may get an ultrasound that is the Duplex Ultrasound scan is done to measure the blood flow in the affected veins. The weak veins will be confirmed with this scan. Some of the preliminary blood tests will be done to assess your general fitness. Once these are in place, an appointment for treatment will be scheduled.
Dr. Abhilash Sandhyala is one of the best vascular surgeons in Hyderabad. He is a well-known specialist for varicose veins. He has successfully treated varicose veins for more than 5,000 patients. He has been performing the EVLT procedure for the past 4 years with great results.
You can visit Flow Vascular clinic at H.No: 2-22-298/2/A, Sree Krishna Diagnostic Center Building, 2nd Floor, Beside Kalamandir, KPHB Main Road, Kukatpally, Hyderabad. You can also book an appointment on https://drabhilash.com/book-an-appointment/ or call on (+91) 99896 49498,99590 33037.
Visit https://drabhilash.com/ to know more about the treatment options for varicose veins.