Venous disorders – more commonly known as vein diseases – are sadly misunderstood by many Americans. This misunderstanding is due to many factors: myths perpetuated via word of mouth, rumors carried over from the past, and a great deal of misinformation that has been spread about vein disease on the Internet. These misunderstandings prevent many people from understanding the risks posed to health and life itself by vein disease, and prevent them from seeking treatment. In this article, one of the best vein doctors in Texas sets the record straight by presenting a few simple facts.
What are the true facts that Flower Mound, TX residents need to know about vein disease?
- Vein disease is one of the most widespread health issues in the US. Over 50% of adults over the age of 50 – literally millions of Americans — suffer from some form of vein disease.
- Some forms of vein disease such as varicose veins and the smaller spider veins display visible symptoms that you can self-diagnose. But many other forms of vein disease – some of them far more serious and even life threatening – have no visible symptoms at all. This means that you could have a serious venous disorder or circulatory problem and not know it.
- Many people believe that they have to “live with” their varicose veins and spider veins. This is not true. Both symptoms of vein disease can be treated and removed permanently, using outpatient procedures that are fast, painless, and effective.
- Similarly, many people think that varicose veins pose no real health risk; they’re just unattractive. Again, this is not true. Varicose veins pose few significant health risks in themselves, but the underlying vein disease that causes them does have risks. Left untreated, varicose veins can become painful and covered with open, bleeding sores, and cause chronically swollen legs and ankles. The underlying chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) that causes them can impair your entire immune system and jeopardize your health.
- That said, CVI is not the “worst case scenario.” Varicose veins can often be a surface symptom of another condition called deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which causes blood clots to form in the deep veins of your legs. These blood clots can travel through the veins to the heart and lungs and cause pulmonary embolisms or strokes, which kill over 300,000 Americans a year.
- Although you can’t do anything about some of the risk factors for vein disease, such as genetics and gender, other risk factors are in your control. Your Flower Mound vein specialist can recommend lifestyle changes that can significant lower your risk of ever contracting these diseases, even if your hereditary risk for them is high.
- Most of the people who have serious vein disease don’t know it, and there is no reason why this needs to be true, Venous disorders can be accurately diagnosed (and, if present, treated) as the result of a fast, painless venous health screening. In about an hour, Dr. Robert A. Handley and his staff at Flower Mound Vein Center can tell you whether you currently have a serious vein disease, and how to prevent it if you don’t.
So don’t be misled by some of the things you might have heard from relatives who remember the old days of vein disease diagnosis and treatment from several decades ago, or by misinformation you read elsewhere on the Internet. Varicose veins and other vein diseases are potentially serious, and they don’t “get better on their own.” So call Dr. Handley at 972-410-5757 to schedule an appointment for an initial consultation. Or visit our website at flowermoundveins.com/ to find out more real facts.