Can varicose veins lead to heart failure?

Can Varicose Veins cause heart failure? A question you must have pondered looking at those unsightly bumps on your smooth legs.

Recorded symptoms are not always the cause of heart failure, as an active adult with other medical conditions can run the risk of heart disease. That is why to increase awareness and strengthen the communities affected by cardiovascular diseases, 29th September is observed yearly as World Heart Day.

According to statistics, one person dies every 34 seconds in the US from a heart-related disease. As heart issues do not often result due to a particular symptom, patients facing severe medical conditions are always advised to get checked for heart health.

For a patient suffering from the varicose vein, heart failure may not be of grave concern as the functioning of the heart is not affected. The bulging of veins due to blood moving backwards when the vein valve weakens does not lead to heart disease.

But increased blockage with time and age can weaken your veins to the extent that they can hinder the proper functioning of the heart. That is why in this year’s awareness campaign, the three pillars for improving heart health reflect how various situations can affect the functioning of your heart if you are not paying attention to keeping your mind, body, and surroundings healthy.

And if your varicose veins are restricting physical activity, you have every reason to get these checked by an experienced phlebologist.

Following are some of the causes that could worsen your heart health if you already suffer from varicose veins.

1- Obesity

Excess body mass means your veins and arteries must function harder to deliver, distribute, and return blood to your heart. According to cardiologists at Johns Hopkins, obesity is a ‘solo player’ associated with heart injury that could lead to heart failure, irrespective of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

2- High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure or hypertension is the primary cause of heart failure and is a major factor in worsening varicose veins. About ? of people with a weak heart face problems where their heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet every organ’s need. You are prone to heart risks if you are diagnosed with hypertension and have a varicose vein condition.

3- High Cholesterol

When your cholesterol level is high, there is a high chance of arteries getting clogged with fatty molecules. A medical condition called atherosclerosis. Though cholesterol does not clog up veins, it can lead to numbness and leg pain due to peripheral artery disease (PAD) that develops when arteries get narrower in the legs due to build-up from cholesterol.

If your legs are already taking the burn of varicose veins, this added stress will significantly affect your overall health and the functioning of your heart.

Medical practitioners advise patients to stay active and live a healthy life which is almost impossible if your varicose makes it difficult for you to move. Therefore, consult a vein specialist at Comprehensive Vein Care to get a holistic diagnosis of your varicose and how you can live a better and healthy life without heart failure risks.