Office Phone Number: (832) 644-8930
New Patient Appointments: (346) 662-1220
Office Phone Number: (832) 644-8930
New Patient Appointments: (346) 662-1220
Individuals with varicose veins wonder if genetics played a role in their growth or if it dooms them to varicose veins if a parent has them. Is the answer in your genes? Do genetics play a role in varicose veins? Is there anything you can do to help and prevent them?
Genes are like history, and DNA is the language your genes write. But can you change your story?
As defined by the National Human Genome Research Institute, a genome is another name for the wholeness of your DNA. Your DNA determines your specific code and all the information needed to build and develop the unique you.
Varicose veins happen when the veins become enlarged, fill too much with blood, and begin to twist and curl. The condition is prevalent, especially in women, but men are not immune. Approximately twenty-five percent of all women have varicose veins.
The thickened and dilated parts of the vein are varicosities. Varicose veins may form anywhere on the body but most frequently appear on the legs and feet.
Varicose veins are enlarged, swollen, looped veins that are frequently visible and palpable on the surface skin; they may be blue, purple, or skin-colored. They can also cause cramping, aching, and shooting pain in the legs, worsening over time.
Many individuals who suffer from varicose veins may wonder if they are hereditary. Unfortunately, like many genetic disorders, varicose veins are hereditary.
Your chance of getting varicose veins increases if a close relative has the condition, confirming a link between genetics and varicose veins.
If one of your parents suffers from varicose veins, you have a forty percent chance of inheriting them. If both parents suffer from them, your risk increases dramatically to ninety percent.
Having valves that do not work correctly or are too few is also a frequent problem that individuals may inherit.
Sometimes, you may be born with abnormalities in the vein wall. The resulting weakness may predispose the valves, leading to separation and cracking. When someone with malfunctioning valves stands up, blood flow goes in the wrong direction and flows down the superficial veins when it should flow toward the heart.
Then, pressure builds up in the superficial veins and causes varicosities.
Other than frustration with the appearance of varicose veins, you may not have any signs or symptoms with varicose veins. However, they are frequently an indication of venous insufficiency, which, if left untreated, may develop into chronic venous insufficiency (CVI).
This progression may cause a worsening of symptoms, which may include the following:
Varicose veins are prone to run in families, and hereditary factors play a role in the development of varicose veins. Nevertheless, you cannot blame everything on your parents.
Other aspects that can contribute to the development of varicose veins, which impose additional stress and strain on the veins, include the following:
Weight loss can help you avoid insulin resistance and a diabetes diagnosis. Even if you have previously been diagnosed with diabetes, losing weight can help prevent the serious cardiovascular and neurological complications mentioned above.
In a case-control study of one hundred and thirty-four families, researchers found the following results:
They concluded that their findings excluded a sex-linked pattern of inheritance.
In a study of more than two thousand individuals, chronic vein disease at the earliest stage (spider veins) appeared to be more frequent in non-Hispanic whites than in Hispanics, African Americans, and East Asians. However, the study went on to say that these results were probably related to social habits; they did not appear to have a link with genetics.
A study of four ethnic groups in Southern California, using visual examination and ultrasound, showed the following:
The study concluded that the presence of varicose veins varied by gender but not by ethnicity.
Physicians now recognize that women’s hormones may play a role in developing varicose veins. Elevated estrogen and progesterone hormone levels can thin vein walls during pregnancy, making pregnant women more prone to chronic venous insufficiency. Estrogen may also damage the valves within the veins.
Menopause will also affect the health of a woman´s veins but in reverse. During this time, a woman’s hormone levels decrease. This hormone drop makes the vein walls thicker, less flexible, and more constricted.
Many efficient and minimally invasive treatments successfully eliminate varicose veins, including surgical options such as vein stripping.
However, when considering undergoing treatment before the condition progresses to an advanced stage, you frequently have the option of non-surgical therapy. This non-surgical therapy means a faster recovery and a quicker return to daily activities.
A thorough evaluation is the only way to decide which treatment is best for you. Depending on those results, your physician may suggest several innovative and minimally invasive treatment options for your varicose veins.
There are some things about varicose veins that are beyond our control (written somewhere in your DNA), but there are things you may do to help prevent them
At Modern Heart and Vascular Institute, we have years of practice providing the most applicable and recent vein removal procedures and have treated several patients concerned about their veins. In addition, we collaborate with highly qualified vascular specialists with vast experience and education in their field.
We offer some of the least invasive techniques for varicose veins and other vein conditions. And with no long-winded downtime or recovery required. Instead, we focus on the root cause of your veins.
The benefits of non-surgical and least-invasive procedures are the following:
We recommend treating your varicose veins as soon as possible. However, if you can point out worrisome changes in the appearance of your veins on the surface of your skin, have a vein specialist check it out immediately. You may book an appointment for varicose vein treatment at any of our Modern Heart and Vascular Institute clinics.
If you want to learn more about varicose veins and how we treat them, contact Modern Heart and Vascular Institute at 832-644-8930.
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