Varicose Vein Symptoms

What this desk answers

This desk answers what a symptom in your legs asks you to do next. The NHS is the main source here, with two others on stockings. Each answer shows the source first and the desk's reading second.

The questions, and where each one ends

• Can varicose veins lead to serious complications? Source: the NHS gives ulcers on your legs as an example of a complication that can lead a GP to refer you to a specialist. Directive: ask which complications apply to your veins.
• What causes varicose veins to form? No passage held here sets out a cause. Ask your clinician what is most likely behind yours.
• Why do my legs feel heavy at the end of the day? Source: the NHS lists heaviness among the symptoms that can lead a GP to refer you to a specialist. Directive: note when the heaviness comes and goes.
• Which tests diagnose varicose veins? Source: the NHS says a GP may refer you to a specialist for tests and treatment. Directive: ask which tests your clinician plans and what each one will show.
• Are varicose veins hereditary? Ask your clinician how your family history should shape the visit.
• Do varicose veins always cause symptoms? Source: the NHS says treatment to improve how varicose veins look is not usually available on the NHS if they are not causing other problems. That is an NHS rule. Directive: ask what applies to you if your veins cause no symptoms.
• How quickly do untreated varicose veins get worse? Source: the NHS lists veins that are getting worse among the reasons for a GP visit. The passage gives no timeline. Directive: ask how often to have your veins looked at again.
• Is itching around a vein a warning sign? Source: the NHS lists itching among the symptoms that can lead a GP to refer you to a specialist. Directive: report it, and say when it started.
• Can standing at work make varicose veins worse? No passage here ties work posture to vein change. Bring your job and your hours to the visit.

Things to do and things to ask

The NHS sets out when to act. It says to see a GP if you have pain, itching or swelling, if a leg sore has not healed after 2 weeks, or if the veins are getting worse. It says to ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if a varicose vein is bleeding. Those are NHS contacts, so ask your own clinic who to call.

On stockings, Vein Directory says they will not cure varicose veins but do relieve symptoms. WTOP News reports the same point, that stockings improve symptoms and will not make the veins disappear. The desk's reading is that stockings are a symptom tool, not a fix. Ask whether they suit you.

For wider reading, try the public health service page on varicose veins, a radiology page on evaluation and treatment of varicose veins, and a medical encyclopedia list of what to ask your doctor. Readers in Westerville can finish with a hospital guide to symptoms, causes and treatment.