Prolonged standing can be detrimental to your health
Shafiq Tino
People who stand for too long on a daily basis need to get their health checked to prevent varicose vein disease.
A vascular surgeon at Gleneagles Medini Johor Hospital, Dr Syed Alwi Syed Abd Kadir said, varicose veins is a disease in which causes twisted, enlarged veins to develop, more commonly on the legs.
“The patients will also start to feel leg pain when walking and swelling will occur around the ankle," he said.
In cases of healthy veins, blood flows smoothly to the heart but if a person stands too long this can disrupt the blood flow due to the extra pressure it exerts on the lower body.
Typically, in veins, a series of tiny valves open and closes to let blood through, preventing it from flowing backwards.
“However, when the valve in the vein opens wider it causes blood to flow backwards and clot in one place, this resulting in a condition called venous hypertension or high pressure on blood flow in the venous system, ” he said in an interview with SinarPlus.
According to Alwi, the disease usually affects 5 to 30 per cent of the world's population with a ratio of one man to three women.
He said the disease usually has no early symptoms, other than only affecting the older people who are 50 years and above or have a history of hereditary diseases.
"Usually, obese and pregnant women are often at risk of the disease.," he said.
He added that the health problem is often detected during the final stages such as swelling and ulcers.
TREATMENT METHODS
Alwi said, there are two ways to treat it which are medically or therapeutically for early stage patients and surgical methods for those whose conditions have advanced to a more chronic stage.
"We will use compression stockings, in which the patients will be advised to wear special stockings to safeguard the veins and muscles in daily life, in addition to giving them the right medications," he explained.
As for the surgical option, it involves a procedure of tying off a vein and removing it. Another option would be a laser treatment where the doctor uses a laser or high frequency radio waves to close the targeted vein and this method is done with minimal bruising and bleeding.
According to the specialist, varicose veins can be prevented if a person adopts a healthy lifestyle and is aware of the disease at an early stage.
He said, among the preventive measures are avoid sitting or standing for too long, exercise and practice a balanced diet.
He also recommended the use of compression stockings to patients who are still in the early phase and to seek medical advice.
