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When it comes to your health, coincidences happen, but not all that often. More commonly, when you develop symptoms in the same area, the odds are fairly good that they’re related.
A great example of this is the co-existence of restless leg syndrome and varicose veins. Though the two can crop up for different reasons and appear at the same time, in many cases, the two conditions are linked.
To explore the connection between varicose veins and restless leg syndrome, we turn to the vascular team at The Upper East Side Vein Institute, which is headed by board-certified cardiologist Dr. Satjit Bhusri. Let’s take a look.
Understanding varicose veins and restless leg syndrome
To explain how varicose veins and restless leg syndrome are connected, we need to first describe each condition separately.
Restless leg syndrome (RLS)
Let’s start with RLS, which affects between 5% and 15% of the general population. As the name describes, this is a condition in which your legs feel jumpy, itchy, and restless when you try to sleep, and relief only comes when you move your legs. So, between the restless legs and the movements you have to make, you don’t get great sleep.
There are many drivers of restless leg syndrome, including:
- Genetics
- Pregnancy
- Neurological disordersIron deficiency
- Certain medications, such as antihistamines
- Underlying health conditions, such as peripheral neuropathy
The last item on our list of potential culprits behind RLS is chronic venous insufficiency, which is the primary cause of this next condition.
Varicose veins
If the veins in your legs struggle to push blood back to your heart thanks to weak or faulty valves in the blood vessels, this is called chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). This vascular condition affects 33 million US adults over the age of 40, with women outpacing men by two to one.
Among the outward results of CVI are varicose veins, which form when blood pools in your legs, which can engorge superficial veins and send them toward the surface of your skin in the form of bulging veins.
Connecting the dots between RLS and varicose veins
Our team understands each condition and the roads there, and we can start to connect the two. If you have varicose veins, the odds are good that you have venous insufficiency. If you're also struggling with restless leg syndrome at the same time, the two may certainly be related since CVI is a risk factor for restless leg syndrome.
To illustrate this connection going in the other direction, we want to draw your attention to some research that studied patients with RLS. Of these patients, 85% also had venous issues.
The participants who were symptomatic (restless, cramping legs) underwent varicose vein treatment in the form of sclerotherapy, and the success rates were impressive — between 93% and 100% experienced symptom relief.
So, if you’re dealing with restless leg syndrome and you have visible varicose veins, it’s worth your while to explore whether quick-and-easy vein treatments hold the key to better sleep.
If you have more questions about RLS and varicose veins or you’d like to go ahead and schedule a consultation, please call our New York City office on the Upper East Side of Manhattan at 212-752-3464. You can also schedule an appointment online by clicking here.