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Who Is Affected By Varicose Veins?
While the underlying cause of varicose veins is unknown, a number of risk factors have been identified:
Heredity - Varicose veins tend to run in families. If your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles or other family members have had varicose veins, it's likely that you'll develop them. A defect in the vein walls or valves is the greatest contributing factor in 70% of cases.
Gender - Primarily due to the production of progesterone (one of the major female hormones), females are more likely than men to get varicose veins (by a ratio of 4:1).
Age - Varicose veins is a progressive condition that worsens in frequency and severity with age. As we age, elastic fibers in our bodily tissues break down, leading to wrinkles in the skin and weakening of the blood vessels.
Obesity - Excess bodyweight increases the pressure on vein valves and can lead to their weakening.
Hormones - Changes in hormone levels brought on by puberty, pregnancy, menopause, hormone replacement therapy and contraceptives are risk factors for varicose veins.
Pregnancy - Increased progesterone levels, blood volume in the body and pressure on the pelvic veins all contribute to the formation of varicose veins.
- 70% of women develop venous (vein-related) problems during pregnancy. These include: fluid retention; pain, heaviness or fatigue in the feet and legs; mild edema (swelling in the feet and legs); and spider veins.
- 20% of pregnant women develop full-blown varicose veins. Heredity is a major factor, but hormonal changes and your baby's increasing weight place increasing stress on the veins in your legs.
- 50% of new mothers suffer from vein-related conditions for the rest of their lives, with 1 in 10 affected by varicose veins indefinately. Untreated varicose veins can lead to chronic edema, phlebitis (vein inflammation), thrombophlebitis (vein inflammation associated with a blood clot) and blood clots.
- Occupation - People whose jobs require them to stand or sit for long periods of time are at greater risk of developing varicose veins. When sitting or standing still, the valves in the veins in your legs are under increased pressure, which eventually weakens them.
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