Querétaro – Working women, pregnant women and people of over 60 years of age are more affected by varicose veins, which cause alterations in blood vessel walls and can be treated by surgery.
Elvia Calvillo Tinoco, family doctor at the Family Medicine Unit 13 of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) in Querétaro, said that varicose veins are an ailment in which veins become dilated and inflamed, causing alterations in blood vessel walls which prevent elasticity and obstruct the passing of blood.
She said that symptoms include intense leg pain, slow walking, night cramps and in some cases yellow spots on the skin.
“If not treated in its early stages, ulcers can appear, which can cause patients to be unable to complete daily tasks,” the doctor said.
“Varicose veins appear more frequently on the legs, because they support the most weight,” she added.
Calvillo Tinoco said that working class women of a working age who travel long distances to their jobs in the same position, women under a hormonal process, pregnant women, women using birth control, menopausal women, people with obesity and people over the age of 60 are the most affected by this ailment.
Varicose veins can not be completely cured, but you can control your risk by exercising to increase circulation and eating a balanced diet. A surgical procedure also exists to treat the condition.
Calvillo Tinoco recommended seeing a doctor when first symptoms arise, not to remain in the same position for extended periods of time and lifting legs.