“[This case] made us realise how vulnerable the elderly are, [varicose veins] are very easy to damage.
“Older people are also not as good at defending themselves against animal attacks, their balance might not be as good.”
The study — recently published in the journal of Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology — focused on the dangers for elderly people who had varicose veins.
Varicose veins are twisted and enlarged veins which bulge above the skin’s surface.
Professor Byard said the problem was that people with varicose veins could bleed very quickly.
“I’ve had a number of cases where people have just been wandering around in their home and just run into furniture which has caused a small injury,” he said.
“They haven’t known what to do and have died from it.”