Varicose veins affect nearly 40 per cent of the population. Due to hormonal factors, women are affected by this condition three times as much as men.
Venous System
Veins - through a series of small valves that pump blood upwards - bring blood back to the heart from the extremities.
There are three main systems of veins in the legs:
- a deep system, which brings about 90 per cent of the blood back to the heart;
- a more superficial system, which brings about 10 per cent back to the heart.
- a third system - perforators - which transport blood from the superficial to the deep system.
Varicose and spider veins occur solely in the superficial system, when the walls of the veins lose their elasticity and the pumping valves stop functioning properly. This causes the blood to flow back down, creating a reverse process called reflux, which can be heard and seen with Doppler ultrasound.
