Brief overview
- Symptoms: Spider veins, varicose veins, water retention, brown and blue spots, skin changes.
- Treatment: Compression stockings, removal of varicose veins
- Causes and risk factors: hereditary predisposition, prolonged standing and sitting, female gender, older age, overweight
- Diagnostics: Physical and ultrasound examination
- Course and prognosis: If treated early, the progression of venous insufficiency can be slowed down. Possible complications are varicose veins and thrombosis.
- Prevention: Regular exercise, healthy diet, vein gymnastics
What is venous weakness?
In vein weakness, medically called venous insufficiency, the function of the veins is partially disturbed. Veins are the blood vessels that collect deoxygenated blood from the body’s periphery and transport it back to the heart. The heart pumps it into the pulmonary circulation. Here it is re-oxygenated, flows back to the heart, and then through the arteries to the tissues and organs.
Since the veins, which lie below the heart, transport the blood upward to the heart against the force of gravity, they have a special structure. Inside, there are so-called venous valves that, like a valve, prevent the blood from flowing back.
Such dilated veins eventually appear on the surface of the skin as fine spiderweb-like spider veins or – in the case of larger veins – as bluish, tortuous, clearly protruding varicose veins. If the venous weakness continues to progress, in some cases it develops into a clinical picture: chronic venous insufficiency (CVI).
Weak veins: symptoms
People with venous weakness often complain of swollen, tired or aching legs, especially at the end of the day. The symptoms often increase, especially in the warm summer months, as the blood vessels become additionally dilated due to the heat.
The symptoms of weak veins vary depending on their severity. Possible indications of vein weakness are:
- Small, reddish to bluish cobweb-like fine vein markings, so-called spider veins, which appear mainly on the side or back of the thighs
- Clearly protruding veins, especially on the lower leg, calf or back of the knee
- Varicose veins: they are usually located on the lower leg and calf and are easily recognized by the bulging, thickened, tortuous bluish veins.
- Water retention (edema) in the area of the ankle or lower leg
Weakness of the veins: Treatment
The treatment for venous insufficiency depends primarily on its severity. An important step in treatment is to support the blood flow in the veins. Compression stockings or bandages are helpful here, for example. They compress the veins, which prevents the blood from backing up.
In cases of pronounced symptoms of venous insufficiency, such as severe edema, doctors often prescribe dehydrating medications. They treat skin eczema with moisturizing, sometimes also anti-inflammatory creams and ointments.
Spider veins usually bother those affected more for cosmetic reasons. From a medical point of view, they do not necessarily require treatment. However, it is possible to have them sclerosed by a doctor. To do this, he injects a chemical substance into the affected vessel (sclerotherapy). The method is also suitable for small varicose veins of superficial veins.
In the case of larger varicose veins, on the other hand, it is often necessary to remove the affected sections of vein for health reasons. This is done, for example, as part of an operation (vein stripping) or by the doctor closing the affected vessel sections using radio waves or with lasers.
You can read more about varicose veins and how they are treated here.
Home remedies have their limits. If the symptoms persist over a longer period of time, do not improve or even get worse, you should always consult a doctor.
Weak veins: causes and risk factors
The cause of vein weakness is often a hereditary predisposition. Thus, vein disease usually affects several members of a family. The risk of vein weakness also increases with age. Most of those affected notice the first signs around the age of 30, rather later.
Women are significantly more likely to experience vein problems such as weak veins, spider veins or varicose veins. One reason for this is probably the special structure of their connective tissue. The female sex hormones, especially estrogen, also cause loose connective tissue. For this reason, pregnancy, during which estrogen levels are particularly high, is also considered a risk factor for weak veins.
In addition, obesity and previous blood clots in the veins (thromboses) increase the risk of venous disease. Activities that involve sitting or standing for long periods of time also promote vein problems such as venous weakness.
Weak veins: examinations and diagnosis
During the subsequent physical examination, the doctor looks at the veins in the patient’s legs. He pays particular attention to whether spider veins or varicose veins are visible. Swelling of the legs or changes in the skin provide him with important indications of venous weakness: they point to chronic venous insufficiency.
The condition of the veins can be easily assessed with the help of an ultrasound examination. The doctor can see, for example, whether the valves in the veins are defective. A special procedure called Doppler sonography makes the blood flow within the vein visible. In this way, the doctor discovers a disturbed blood flow or, if necessary, a blood clot.
Weakness of the veins: course and prognosis
The course of venous insufficiency depends primarily on its degree of severity. If mild, incipient venous insufficiency is treated early, it is usually possible to halt or at least slow down its progression. If varicose veins already exist as a result of the venous weakness, the risk of further diseases such as venous thrombosis increases.
Weak veins: prevention
Since venous weakness is often inherited, it is often impossible to prevent it in principle. However, there are some measures that can be taken to prevent vein problems from getting worse:
