many people wonder if varicose veins can be a source of blood clots. the answer is "not exactly. " when people talk about "blood clots " they typically mean deep venous thromboses (dvt). these dangerous clots form in the deep tissue (typically of the calf muscle in the lower leg) and can break free and travel to the lungs causing a life-threatening pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lung). varicose veins generally aren't linked to dvts. why is this so? well it's because varicose veins generally form in the superficial tissue not the deep tissue. as you can see by looking at your own legs those gnarled varicose veins reside near the surface of the skin. by definition these are not "deep" veins. because varicose veins are flabby blood can indeed pool in them and probably clot up. however this becomes a problem of the local tissue. these clots generally don't travel anywhere else in the body. varicose veins usually are considered a cosmetic problem even though they can cause pain and feelings of heaviness in the legs. varicose veins can run in families. if your leg veins are bothering you consult a physician who specializes in treating this problem. wishing you well!
can varicose veins form a blood clot which can esentially cause a stroke? . i am a 52 year old female with varicose veins for approximately 20 years.