Vein disease - the causes
One in two adults will be confronted with serious problems or complications caused by a vein complaint at least once in his or her lifetime, at least temporarily.
The causes are complex. Heredity (= weak connective tissue or vein walls), lack of movement, pregnancy and excess weight play an essential role. The basic problem is that we as upright bipeds have to pump the used deoxygenated blood upwards when we walk. This is mainly the responsibility of the muscles in the foot, ankle and calf. The calf muscle is particularly full of veins; at every step it is pumped full and then pressed out.
When you consider that these mechanisms developed for human beings who spent innumerable generations and millions of years as pedestrian hunter-gatherers, it quickly becomes clear that our highly civilized lifestyles constantly overload this section of our circulation. Consequently, these vessels become overstretched. This "material wear" will affect all parts of the leg's vein system over
The resulting spider veins, varicose veins and oedemas (swelling) can cause a number of complications, such as phlebitis, thromboses (blood clots), pulmonary embolisms (blockage in the lung vessels), inflamed tissue and leg ulcers. In most cases, such long-term damage can be prevented by early treatment and consistent follow-up care.