Abnormally swollen veins, usually in the superficial legs.

• A. Varicose veins
• B. Thrombosis
• C. Phlebitis
• D. Aneurysm

Answer: (A)

Abnormally swollen veins in the legs refer to varicose veins. This happens when the valves inside leg veins that help return blood to the heart become weak or damaged, causing blood to pool and veins to enlarge and twist. The legs are especially prone because standing and walking increase venous pressure. Varicose veins are typically visible just beneath the skin in the superficial veins and often cause a feeling of heaviness, aching, or swelling.

This isn’t a clot in a deep vein (thrombosis), which presents with sudden swelling, warmth, and pain, and carries a risk of serious complications. It isn’t inflammation of a vein (phlebitis), which involves tenderness and redness along the vein. And it isn’t an aneurysm, which is a bulging in an artery, not a vein, and occurs in a different vascular context.