Varicose veins and purple ankles

Purple ankles are usually caused by varicose veins in the lower legs, which is also a common manifestation of varicose veins. Varicose veins often occur in the lower limbs of patients. There are many causes of varicose veins, such as congenitally thin blood vessel walls, or standing for a long time, maintaining a posture for a long time, which will lead to poor blood circulation, and too long a time may induce varicose veins.

What causes varicose veins and purple ankles? 1. Weak vein walls and defective valves:

The venous wall is relatively weak and can expand under the action of venous pressure. The expansion of the valvular sinus causes the original venous valve to fail to close tightly, resulting in relative valve insufficiency and blood backflow. If the valve is poorly developed or missing, it cannot effectively prevent backflow and lead to disease.

2. Persistent increase in intravenous pressure:

Due to the effect of gravity, the venous blood itself exerts a certain amount of pressure on the valve, which will not cause damage to it under normal circumstances. However, when the pressure in the vein continues to rise, the valve will be under excessive pressure, gradually loosening and prolapsing, causing it to fail to close completely. This is more common in people who have to stand for long periods of time at work, do heavy physical labor, are pregnant, have chronic coughs, and have long-term constipation.

Since the venous pressure in the limbs reaches its highest pressure only when the body length reaches its maximum, and the body is not tall before puberty, the caliber of the veins is smaller, which can prevent venous dilation. Therefore, although some people suffer from severe varicose veins before the age of 30, most of them suffer from varicose veins as they age, and the venous walls and valves gradually lose their tension, and the symptoms worsen, forcing patients to seek medical attention.

Varicose veins are more common in women, possibly because pregnancy can induce or aggravate varicose veins. However, the incidence rate in non-pregnant women is also higher than that in men (male:female=1:3). The reasons may be that women have wider pelvises, excessive curvature of the blood vessel structure, and the veins in the pelvis become more congested during menstruation, pregnancy and menopause. Another reason why varicose veins are prone to occur during pregnancy is that the tension of the superficial veins in the limbs decreases during pregnancy, making them easy to expand. This situation can be restored after delivery.