What is venous insufficiency?
Venous insufficiency is the inability of the veins to move blood up through the heart
What is the reason for venous insufficiency?
Its mainstay is venous hypertension, which may be due to:
- Valve failure in veins
- Failure of the muscle pumps that surround them and whose function is to drain the blood
- Venous lumen obstruction (by finding an obstacle inside it as in the case of thrombosis or by extrinsic compression of the vein)
What are varicose veins?
Varicose veins are the dilation and incompetence of the superficial veins, they can be segmental or circumscribed to a certain territory or vessel. Usually we use this term for the lower limbs although there is another type of varicose veins such as esophageal varicose veins due to other entities.
How frequent are varicose veins?
Its prevalence ranges from 20% to 60% of people in industrialized countries.
What are primary varicose veins?
Primary varicose veins are related to the individual’s potential risk of developing venous wall dilation and reflux due to factors such as heredity and the triggers or risk factors that lead to its development.
What are secondary varicose veins?
They are those that form after an episode of vein thrombosis leading to valve damage and venous hypertension.
Are varicose veins inherited?
Yes, varicose veins have a high heritability.
More than 80% of people with varicose veins have a positive family history in relation to this entity. It should be noted that it is a pathology that is accompanied by inflammation of the vein wall and can be promoted by various risk factors that frequently act on a venous background paved by inheritance.
