Ulcer prevention
Causes
Venous ulcers are caused by an underlying condition called chronic venous insufficiency, also known as vein disease. The veins in the legs are the blood vessels responsible for carrying blood back up to the heart after the oxygen has been removed from the blood cells. This is a difficult job because gravity constantly tries to push the blood back down towards the feet.
The veins prevent this using valves – small one-way doors that close after blood flows past, preventing it from going in the wrong direction. If the valves are broken, blood pools in the veins below the valve, resulting in high blood pressure in the veins or venous hypertension. This is different from regular high blood pressure caused by artery disease. Venous hypertension is common in many otherwise healthy individuals. It causes spider and varicose veins to form visible on the skin’s surface.
If enough severe spider and varicose veins form, and you don’t seek medical advice, non-healing wounds called venous ulcers can develop. So, in short, Venous ulcers are caused by poor circulation due to high pressure in the veins from broken valves.
Symptoms
Vein ulcers on the leg are a late sign of venous disease and significantly impact your life and health. Vein ulcers result from high blood pressure in the veins and are caused by the same vein problems that cause varicose veins. Early symptoms of varicose vein disease are leg heaviness, cramps, itching, swelling, and fatigue. As the process continues, later stages of vein disease include skin changes, eczema, skin thickening, and skin ulceration.
Treatment
To treat venous leg ulcers, you must treat underlying venous insufficiency. There are several minimally invasive treatment options available. The ulcer itself should be addressed with proper wound care. In addition, compression stockings or compression bandages promote adequate wound healing.
The primary treatment for leg ulcers has included leg elevation, mobility, compression stockings, weight loss, and local wound care. Unfortunately, the ulcers often do not get better with this treatment, as the underlying cause remains untreated. This leads to decreased quality of life and mobility. However, the same simple treatments for varicose veins can effectively manage your ulcers.
New medical data from the best expert vein doctors shows that treating venous insufficiency and vein disease early can help with ulcers. A medical study called the EVRA trial found that closing down unhealthy veins improved circulation and helped ulcers heal more quickly. Compared with traditional therapy, early treatment with superficial vein ablation (closing down the unhealthy veins without surgery) resulted in faster healing from leg ulcers due to venous disease. This made people like you, with ulcers, feel much better!
Hopefully, these results will lead to greater awareness in the medical community to refer patients early for venous disease, especially ulcers. The overwhelming majority of ulcers are the result of superficial vein disease that now has a proven technique for successful treatment. If you want to cure your leg ulcers, see a specialized vein physician to learn about treating ve
Leg elevation
Mobility
Compression stockings
Weight loss
Wound care
