Varicose veins secondary prevention

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Varicose veins usually take a long time before they develop fully and result in complications. If detected early they can be managed relatively easily using conservative measures. The most effective approach to secondary prevention of the varicose veins is risk factor management. This can be done in the following ways ^[1]–

• Weight loss.
• Regular exercise to improve the circulation of the limbs ^[2].
• Avoid wearing clothing that might increase the obstruction to venous outflow from lower limbs eg girdles, control-top pantyhose, garters, and any other tight-fitting clothing
• Raising your lower limbs for at least 30 minutes twice a day.
• Managing other co-morbidities such as atherosclerosis, Diabetes Mellitus, etc. that might increase the risk of disease progression or complications.
• Regular health checkups to monitor disease progression and detect the complications early on, so that they can be managed appropriately.

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