What Does Your Heart Rate Say About Your Health?
Vein disease – doctors call it venous disease – probably isn’t a subject that receives top-of-the-mind awareness from most people. Once you actually develop the condition, however, information is useful. Here are the basics about vein disease from TriCity Cardiology.
Anatomy of a Vein
Anatomy plays a major part in vein disease. That’s because – unlike arteries, which are smooth inside – veins have valves. Blood flows readily through your arteries because they have no obstructions and because the blood pressure is higher. As blood gets farther from the heart, the pressure drops. In order to get blood back to the heart, muscle contractions in the legs push it upward, and small flaps of tissue called valves close the veins to keep it from flowing backwards. If the veins give out, the blood pools in the veins, which causes the form of vein disease known as varicose veins – the most common form of vein disease.
Causes of Vein Disease
Valve failure is the primary cause of the form of vein disease called varicose veins. Other vein diseases include venous insufficiency, phlebitis and blood clots. Venous insufficiency results from heart failure. The heart becomes so weak it cannot pump blood properly and the veins become swollen with blood (this is not the same condition as varicose veins). Phlebitis is an inflammation inside the veins and it can sometimes coexist with blood clots. These can be dangerous if they break off and travel to the lungs (pulmonary embolism).
Vein Disease: Risk Factors
Simply growing older increases your risk of varicose veins, but you are also more likely to develop this problem if you have a family history of the condition. Pregnancy increases the risk of varicose veins, as does being overweight or obese. People whose work requires that they spend long hours on their feet are often more prone to varicose veins. Heart failure usually results from a heart attack or a condition like rheumatic fever. Surgery and long periods of inactivity (such as a long airplane ride) can increase the risk of phlebitis and blood clots.
Treating Vein Disease
Each of the conditions described here requires different treatment. For varicose veins, compression stockings may help with some of the symptoms, although they don’t cure the problem. Procedures like sclerotheapy and ambulatory phlebectomy can get rid of varicose veins, although they won’t stop new ones from occurring. Venous insufficiency is managed primarily with medications that help strengthen the heart or remove excess fluid in the body. Small blood clots may not need treatment, but large clots are usually treated with “blood thinners,” anticoagulant medications that help dissolve the clot.
You need an expert to treat vein disease. The doctors at TriCity Cardiology are skilled in treating and managing all forms of vein disease. Please contact us if you have any concerns or questions or to schedule an appointment.
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