Blood Pressure and Varicose Veins

Your veins appear as blue streaky tubes that are readily seen just beneath your more delicate skin surfaces. You can follow their trail snaking up your legs and arms as they carry blood towards your heart. When veins become twisted, raised, and swollen, they are called varicose veins. These enlarged veins usually develop in the legs and are quite noticeable.

Your Blood Pressure

When your veins are circulating the oxygenated blood your tissues and organs need to thrive, it’s your beating heart that creates the pressure to push that blood through the vessels that are veins, arteries, and capillaries. If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure, it means that the momentum pushing your blood against the vessels’ walls is too forceful. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is called a “silent killer” because there are no symptoms associated with this disease that can lead to strokes, vision loss, heart failure, or kidney disease.

Venous Hypertension

Varicose veins form when the blood pressure in certain veins is too high. There are veins in the legs that appear as bulging tubes near the surface of the skin. They are unsightly in appearance and can feel uncomfortable, though they do not usually indicate a serious medical condition. However, when venous hypertension is present in most of your valves, more serious issues may arise. Your blood is pushed towards the heart via one-way valves. When these valves are impaired, blood becomes stagnant, enlarging the vein. If you sit or stand for long periods of time, the blood can pool in the vein, increasing the pressure there and making vein stretch. This damages the vein walls and valves, causing varicose veins.

Varicose Vein Risk Factors

If you develop increased blood pressure in the veins, some factors, aside from genetic inheritance, that may predispose you to venous hypertension include:

  • Overweight
  • Increased age
  • Female
  • Being inactive
  • Having a leg injury
  • Pregnancy
  • Smoking
  • Oral contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy

Varicose Vein Symptoms

The signs of venous hypertension can vary, but the most common symptoms include:

  • Skin discolorations
  • Leg sores
  • Rashes
  • A heavy feeling, burning or aching in the legs
  • Visible signs of bulging, twisted veins beneath the skin
  • Swollen feet

Treatment

Once a vein becomes varicose, it cannot be repaired without medical intervention. You can intervene with some lifestyle changes to lessen their severity or the chance of developing them in the first place. Do this by staying at a healthy weight, getting regular exercise, avoiding standing or sitting for long periods, and wearing support hose or socks.

If you believe you suffer from a vein disease, Amish Tilara, M.D. at Atlanta Vascular & Vein Center can make treatment recommendations to restore health to your vein function. Dr. Tilara performs the procedure that is appropriate for your particular condition to restore your appearance and help avoid future vein problems. Some of the treatment options he uses include varicose vein ablation, ambulatory phlebectomy, endogenous ablation therapy, and endoscopic vein surgery.

Amish Tilara, M.D. at Atlanta Vascular & Vein Center is located in Lawrenceville, GA, and serves the surrounding communities of Duluth, Dacula, Buford, Grayson, Lilburn, Norcross, Snellville, and Suwanee.

The information in this article is not meant to take the place of professional medical advice. Please contact Dr. Tilara or a physician in your area if you have a concern or require more information.

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