A Comprehensive Review on Varicose Veins: Preventive Measures and Different Treatments

Abstract

The purpose of this article was to review the different preventive measures and treatments for varicose veins disease. Varicose veins are tortuous, enlarged veins that are usually found in the lower extremities damages blood vessels leading to its painful swelling cause’s blood clots, affecting people over increasing prevalence with age and affects the proficiency, productivity, and life quality of a person. Prolonged standing and obesity are the major reason for varicose vein disease. The mechanisms, prevention, risk factors, complications, and treatment of varicose veins are explained in this review. Various types of treatments such as endovascular, surgical, and herbal treatments improve quality of life and reduce the secondary complications of varicose veins. Besides these methods of treatments, varicose vein disease can be prevented by doing regular yoga/exercise and consumption of several fruits and vegetables such as Grapes, blackberries, avocados, ginger, and rosemary. Typically, varicose veins can be a benign process with several problems that can influence the life quality of an individual that can lead to potentially life-threatening complications. However, there are numerous surgical, endovascular, and chemical treatments that improve quality of life and decrease secondary complications of varicose veins. Patients with varicose veins should take an antioxidant medicament from the flavonoid groups to reduce the arterial blood pressure value, risk of atherosclerosis development, prevent thrombotic incidents.

Key teaching points

• Chronic venous disease is a pathological state of vein circulatory systems of the lower limbs

• Prolonged standing and obesity are the major reason for varicose vein disease

• Endovascular, surgical, and herbal treatments improve quality of life and reduce the secondary complications of varicose veins

• Venoactive drugs such as flavonoids, saponins, and others have a therapeutic effect on chronic venous disorders

• Phlebotropic drugs are semi-synthetic substances widely used in different states of chronic venous insufficiency

• Food rich in phytoconstituents are more effective in varicose veins.

Keywords:

• Varicose vein
• herbs
• foam sclerotherapy

Acknowledgment

The authors gratefully acknowledge Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India for providing Library support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).