Fact or Fiction: Ultimate Varicose Veins

Estimated Completion Time
1 min
Fact or Fiction: Ultimate Varicose Veins
Image: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

About This Quiz

Varicose veins probably conjure visions of old women with gnarled legs wearing support hose and sensible shoes. But what exactly are varicose veins? Take our quiz and test your knowledge of this common condition.
Are varicose veins painful?
yes
no
sometimes
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Varicose veins don't always hurt, but many people do experience aching, swelling, cramping and itching around the raised veins.

Advertisement

Varicose veins start because of problems in your _______.
blood valves
heart
leg muscles
veins
kidneys
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The veins in your legs are working against gravity to return blood to your heart. Valves keep your blood from getting pulled back into your legs, but when they weaken, the blood gets trapped and enlarges your veins.

Advertisement

Simple laser therapy has proven effective for treatment of small varicose veins. What kind of laser therapy is the best new treatment for larger varicose veins?
cold
focused
endovenous
infrared
hemotherapy
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Simple laser therapy applies laser-focused heat to the problem area. Endovenous laser treatment inserts a laser fiber into the vein through a thin tube.

Advertisement

Are varicose veins only in the legs and feet?
yes
no
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The legs and feet are the most common place for varicose veins, but any vein can become varicose.

Advertisement

If you have varicose veins, are you at higher risk of other circulatory problems?
yes
no
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Yes -- if you have varicose veins, you and your doctor should be on the lookout for any related circulatory issues.

Advertisement

Why are varicose veins blue?
because the blood has stopped moving
because the blood is deoxygenated
because that's how blood appears when viewed through the skin
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The blood in your veins is deoxygenated and on its way to be recirculated to the lungs. Thus, the blue color.

Advertisement

If you develop varicose veins during pregnancy, should they go away on their own?
yes
no
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If you've gotten varicose veins for the first time while pregnant, they should disappear on their own within three months, when your circulation returns to normal.

Advertisement

Why do women get varicose veins so much more than men?
because of hormonal changes
because they have thicker blood
because their blood circulates more slowly
because more of their body fat is distributed in the legs
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It's probably because of hormonal changes, which happen at so many times in a woman's life. Female hormones (and birth control pills) could weaken vein walls.

Advertisement

What's the common, mild form of varicose veins called?
rose veins
snake veins
spider veins
branch veins
grasshopper veins
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Spider veins are very thin weblike blood vessels that can been seen near the surface of the skin.

Advertisement

Are hemorrhoids a type of varicose vein?
yes
no
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Yes, hemorrhoids are a kind of varicose vein.

Advertisement

You Got:
/10
iStockphoto/Thinkstock