Varicose Veins Affect 20% of Adults
I took up Phlebology, the specialty dealing with vein disease, full time in 1999 and since
that time I have performed over 1200 procedures for varicose veins. This is a condition
that occurs in about 20 percent of all adults, with women four times more likely to
develop varicose veins than men, mainly because of the unique additional risk factors for females, including estrogen levels and pregnancy.
What are varicose veins? Varicose veins are blood vessels just beneath the skin that have
widened and twisted due to a defect in the valves within the veins themselves. Blood
pools in sections of the vein, causing the vein to bulge and swell.
I have long known that wearing compression stockings daily will make a significant
improvement in the severity of symptoms caused by varicose veins, which include leg
heaviness and aching, leg fatigue, swelling in the ankles, itching, throbbing, burning,
nighttime leg cramps, and restless legs (sometimes called Restless Leg Syndrome).
But we weren’t the first ones to understand their importance. As far back as ancient
times, Roman soldiers used to bind their legs with straps before long marches to prevent leg swelling and fatigue.
Graduated compression hosiery works by applying pressure at the ankle that
systematically decreases up the hosiery length, and keeps proper venous blood flow in
the legs. This prevents back-flow and stagnation of blood in the lower legs that can cause clotting and swelling. It has been clinically demonstrated that controlled, graduated compression applied to the lower extremities accelerates the velocity at which the blood flows through the deep veins placing the greatest compression at the ankles where it’s needed most, helping improve circulation.
If your doctor recommends you wear compression stockings, be resolute, and wear them every day when you first get up until bedtime, and you’ll almost always get noticeably better results. If the symptoms do not get significantly better it is likely that another diagnosis besides vein disease is to blame and you need to speak with your doctor.
James Altizer MD, FACPh, RVT, RPVI
In 2006, Dr. Altizer was elected a Fellow in the American College of Phlebology (ACP)
, the leading organization for physicians treating venous disease in North America.
Fellowship status has only been conferred on approximately 30 physicians out of the
entire membership of the American College of Phlebology and indicates a high level of
skill and dedication to the advancement of his field.
