A few people get varicose veins as a result of more serious problems. We haven't covered treatments for these conditions in our varicose veins section. But if you go to your doctor with varicose veins, they may do some tests to find out if you have any of these problems.

This happens when a

 

 

 

 

 

blood clot
A blood clot forms when your blood clumps together. Sometimes this happens to stop you from bleeding if you've had an injury. But it can also happen on the inside of your blood vessels, even when you haven't had an injury. A blood clot inside of a blood vessel is called a thrombus.

 

 

 

 

 

blood clot forms in a deep vein in your leg. This is serious, as the clot can travel to your lungs and block the blood flow. This is called a

 

 

 

 

 

pulmonary embolism
A pulmonary embolism can give you chest pain, make you feel breathless and uncomfortable or make you breathe rapidly. A pulmonary embolism is dangerous and can kill you if it is not treated.

 

 

 

 

 

pulmonary embolism.

If you have a clot in a deep vein, you usually get pain, swelling, warmth and redness in the affected leg. See your doctor at once if you have any of these symptoms.

Deep vein thrombosis can also lead to varicose veins. But most people with varicose veins are not at risk of getting these serious blood clots.

This is where the pressure of blood traveling through the veins in your legs is higher than normal. This can lead to problems such as:

Doctors sometimes call this condition chronic venous insufficiency.

Having varicose veins can also lead to venous hypertension. But there's no evidence that treating varicose veins prevents this condition or reduces your chance of getting the discolored skin or ulcers that can happen with it.

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