Vascular diseases are diseases of the arteries, veins, and lymphatic vessels of the body. Angiology is devoted to the study and treatment of these diseases, in which vascular surgery is sometimes required to re-establish the necessary circulation. Vascular diseases are often the cause of debilitating processes which are presented as pain during walking, ulcerations of the extremities, ischemia of the tissues, and cerebral vascular events, among others.

The incidence of peripheral arterial diseases is much more frequent among men, while their appearance in women takes place at a later age. They increase with age, as they are detected in 1% of men between ages 35 and 44, and in 6% of men over 65 years of age.

With regard to venous diseases, Grade I venous insufficiency (varicose veins) is observed in 12.9% of men and 25.9% of women, while Grades II and III (varicose veins with complications) are present in 7.4% of men and 16.7% of women.

Specialized care from an angiologist provides the patient who suffers from vascular disease with clinical and preventive attention, including the most modern diagnostic and therapeutic methods, thus increasing the possibilities of recovering damaged circulation. Likewise, timely vascular surgery can save a limb or affected areas, depending on the specific problem.

Bibliography: Rutherford, Robert. Vascular Surgery, 4th edition, 1995. W.B. Saunders Company. Villavicencio, Raju. Tratamiento Quirurgico de las Enfermedades Venosas. 1999. McGraw Hill.