下肢静脉曲张，随着年龄的增长越易发生。静脉瓣功能减弱甚至丧失。这可能是随着年龄的增加，肌肉萎缩导致其对大的浅静脉压力降低，而且皮肤的弹性下降。长期流体静压升高使得静脉曲张加重。
The prominent veins shown here on the lower leg are varicosities. Varicose veins are a common problem with aging. The venous valves become incompetent. There may be muscular atrophy with less tone to provide a massage effect on the large superficial veins, and skin becomes less elastic with time. Hydrostatic pressure from standing for long periods exacerbates the problem.