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varicose veins

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varicose veins

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Also known as varices, venous ectasia, venous varices (disorder), Varix, Venous varices, varix (morpxhologic abnormality), Varicose Vein

vein disease with swollen, twisted veins visible under the skin

AI overview

Varicose veins are swollen, twisted veins that become visible under the skin, usually in the legs. They develop when vein disease occurs and can cause discomfort or other health concerns, which is why doctors monitor and treat them.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Research

23,090 papers

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Wikidata facts

Subclass of
disease
Image
Varicose ASV.jpg
Show 7 more facts
Commons category
Varicose veins
NCI Thesaurus ID
C35114
health specialty
cardiology
drug or therapy used for treatment
sodium tetradecyl sulfate
ICD-9-CM
454.9
on focus list of Wikimedia project
WikiProject Medicine
Sources (10)

via Wikidata · CC0

~19 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Varicose veins, also known as varicoses, are a medical condition in which superficial veins become enlarged and twisted. Although usually just a cosmetic ailment, in some cases they cause fatigue, pain, itching, and nighttime leg cramps. These veins typically develop in the legs, just under the skin. Their complications can include bleeding, skin ulcers, and superficial thrombophlebitis. Varices in the scrotum are known as varicocele, while those around the anus are known as hemorrhoids. The physical, social, and psychological effects of varicose veins can lower their bearers' quality of life.

Varicose veins have no specific cause. Risk factors include obesity, lack of exercise, leg trauma, and family history of the condition. They also develop more commonly during pregnancy. Occasionally they result from chronic venous insufficiency. Underlying causes include weak or damaged valves in the veins. They are typically diagnosed by examination, including observation by ultrasound.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “varicose veins” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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