Varicose veins are not only a cosmetic problem that makes patients worry about their attractiveness, but also a dangerous disease that needs to be treated completely and adhered to preventive measures.
The causes of varicose veins are many: from sedentary lifestyle, overloaded body and ending with hormonal disturbances, congenital weakness of blood vessel walls, pregnancy. What happens when varicose veins? When lower extremities varicose veins, they lose their normal elasticity and stretch under the influence of blood pressure.
Valves in veins are usually locked and as blood flows through them they close and allow the blood to flow back out. If the valves malfunction, blood can be freely distributed downwards, resulting in blood stasis.
In this regard, the veins cannot cope with the pressure, they dilate, the valves are no longer able to block the large lumen. . . all of these lead to the onset of the early stages of varicose veins (see photo).
Why does varicose veins happen, and what is it? The main risk factors for the development of the disease are considered hereditary and gender predisposition. Due to the love of high heels, hormonal changes during pregnancy and oral contraceptives, women become twice as likely to fall victim to varicose veins as men.
The development of the disease was spurred by:
Secondary varicose veins occur with trauma to the legs, heart defects, liver and spleen dysfunction. In this case, first of all, appropriate treatment of the main disease is performed.
The main risk factors for the development of the disease are considered hereditary and sexual predisposition. Due to the love of high heels, hormonal changes during pregnancy and oral contraceptives, women become twice as likely to fall victim to varicose veins as men.
The development of the disease was spurred by:
Secondary varicose veins occur with trauma to the legs, heart defects, liver and spleen dysfunction. In this case, first of all, appropriate treatment of the main disease is performed.
What motivates varicose veins
The development of varicose veins is based on congenital weakness of the venous wall, valve deficiency of superficial veins and an increase in venous pressure associated with this. Special one-way valves prevent the blood from flowing back and from being stagnant in one place, and when they are destroyed, disrupt the movement of blood from the tissues back to the heart. It should be noted that conservative treatment does not affect intravenous pressure.
There are 3 stages of progression of symptoms during the development of varicose veins.
Varicose veins itself is not considered a serious disease, but if it does, it will never go away on its own, or even get worse, leading to all kinds of complications that cause the greatest danger. .
The first signs of the onset of varicose veins:
At a later stage, spider veins appear on the skin, protruding veins and various seals, indicating clogged blood vessels.
Diagnosing the early stages of the disease is quite difficult because in the early stages there are no spider veins and dilated veins protrude on the skin.
Early symptoms of varicose veins:
Usually, before the appearance of the first spider veins or veins in places that were not previously seen, the patient does not feel other symptoms of the disease, and there are only defects. aesthetics on the skin cause inconvenience. As a rule, in the early stages, the symptoms of varicose veins completely disappear or are significantly reduced at rest, so they often go unnoticed.
One or more protruding veins in the skin indicates progression and neglect of the disease. When standing for a long time, pain appears in the lymph node area, a feeling of numbness, tingling, "crawling", a tingling sensation in the leg. Towards the end of the day, the swelling usually appears and goes away after a night's sleep. You can gauge edema with shoes that don't stretch in the morning, shoes that begin to press at night.
The most common complication of varicose veins is thrombophlebitis. Additionally, the increased pressure in the venous portion leads to penetration of erythrocytes through the vascular wall into tissues. Therefore, skin pigmentation, tissue thickening and hypoxia are observed, which contribute to the appearance of trophic ulcers. Even if the skin is slightly damaged, it can break down and bleed severely.
To diagnose varicose veins of lower extremities and prescribe appropriate treatment, the specialist will give the patient a comprehensive examination, including many different methods.
Only a highly qualified vein doctor can diagnose deep varicose veins.
A complex progression of varicose veins accompanied by thrombosis and phlebitis, trophic ulcers and skin disorders. These complications manifest in the discolored leg area, redness, darkening, blue skin.
Persistent swelling of the ankle is also common, especially when walking or standing. In the calf area, pain occurs with walking, pain along the winding veins, hardened skin, and sores of various sizes on it.
Pregnancy greatly increases the risk of developing varicose veins of the lower extremities, which is facilitated by the following reasons:
For varicose veins of the legs, treatment may not be medically necessary unless symptoms are problematic.
However, some people may want varicose therapy for cosmetic reasons because they are not satisfied with their appearance.
Let's take a look at the main methods that will help solve this problem.
Physical activity - brisk walking, gymnastics, swimming and water exercise (excluding heavy-duty leg sports - tennis, weightlifting, jumping) is importantimportant in treatment and prevention.
Conservative varicose vein therapy is mainly indicated for people with obvious contraindications to surgical intervention.
Similar treatment is also indicated if the patient has slight varicose veins, which is a unique cosmetic defect. The goal of conservative treatment is also to prevent further progression of the disease. For this purpose, the patient should bandage the varicose leg with an elastic bandage. Additionally, compressed knitted fabrics are shown for varicose veins. People who tend to varicose veins or already have this condition should regularly put their feet on a raised pedestal throughout the day, then rest for a few minutes. There are also special exercises for the legs and feet, which are aimed at activating the muscle-vein pump. This is a periodic stretching and flexion of the ankle joint and knee joint.
The patient should be careful not to let the shin and thigh are pulled together by different toilet objects, as this can significantly hinder the circulation of venous blood.
With the support of elastic compressive force, you can activate the blood flow in deep veins, prevent edema, reduce the amount of blood in the hemispherical veins, promote the body's metabolismand microcirculation of the blood.
But to achieve satisfactory results, it is important to properly bandage the leg. This should be done in the morning, before getting out of bed. The dressing starts from toe to thigh, when the bandage should have slight tension. During the dressing process, remember to take the heel and ankle joints. Each turn the bandages around the limbs should cover half of the front. Buy only certified elastic bands and knitwear.
Treatment for varicose veins also implies wearing comfortable shoes, so low heels and hard soles. Do not stand for long, put your body under stress, stay in a room with high temperature and humidity for a long time. In a dream, keep your feet elevated.
Patients should limit their intake of fluids and salt and try to eliminateexcess weight. To treat varicose veins, it is necessary to periodically use diuretics, drugs that improve the tone of the veins. In addition, if indicated, the patient may be prescribed microcirculation stimulants in tissues. Treatment for varicose veins may also include the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
If the patient has an uncomplicated form of the disease, he or she will receive physical therapy. Swimming, other water procedures, foot bath with warm water, with added 5-10% sodium chloride solution, is very helpful.
Topical treatments are very common in the treatment of varicose veins. But such treatment must be used in conjunction with other medicinal methods. Local treatments for varicose veins are produced in the form of gels, ointments, creams. Most of these drugs containheparinor other active ingredients. Ointments for varicose veins help normalize the tone of the walls of the veins, they can correct disorders of the lymphatic flow and microcirculation. In some local preparations, a number of different active ingredients are present in the composition.
If during the course of varicose therapy there is a secondary infection, external agents withantibioticsorantisepticshould be used.
Since ancient times,hirudotherapyfor varicose veins has been used for treatment. The use of leeches, which secretes hirudine, allows you to thin the blood, promote the reuptake ofblood clots, removal of spider veins and varicose veins. In addition, the hirudotherapy method of varicose veins can relieve pain in the legs, alleviating edema. However, it is important to apply hirudotherapy in the early stages of varicose veins. This treatment should not be used by people who havehemophilia,anemia,hypotension,pregnant woman.
However, one radical treatment for varicose varicose veins is surgery. It is done to eliminate venous-venous reflux. Such surgery is not performed if the patient has concurrent diseases of the lungs, cardiovascular system, kidneys, and liver. Such a surgery should not be performed on pregnant women, as well as those with purulent disease. Modern technologies make it possible to use endoscopic techniques for such a surgery.
If a person has only small branches dilated, fibrosis therapy is allowed. This involves injecting a hardening solution into a vein to bond the veins walls. Then, repeated injection is carried out in other parts of the vein, at the same time a complete destruction of the vein is achieved.
For varicose veins, surgical combination therapy is also used, in which the large branches of the altered veins are removed and the small branches are fibrosis therapy. After surgery, patients are advised to continue wearing an elastic band for 8-12 weeks.
Those looking for an effective and miraculous cure for varicose veins will be immediately disappointed: even the most modern and expensive drugs cannot completely eliminate varicose veins. circuit. They help relieve pain, swelling and even improve the condition of the venous wall, but with no complete recovery.
In addition, conservative treatment has only an apparent effect in the early stages of the disease, after which it is taken to prevent further development of venous insufficiency. The leading role in the treatment of this disease belongs to phytopreport preparations, based on natural plant substances. However, do not forget that most venotonic drugs cause photosensitivity, when using the drug, you should not let the sun rays shine on the exposed skin.
In addition to the use of pills, relaxation activities and special exercises for the legs, doctors strongly recommend regularly wearing compressed knitwear: socks, knee-high socks, shockpant. They improve blood microcirculation and prevent edema formation. It is very important to choose the correct elastic sock size and degree of compression, which can be both preventive and therapeutic.
To improve vascular tone, use venotonic tablets for varicose veins - serum tonic. These preparations are similar and contain a pure flavonoid consisting of 90% diosmin. They are taken one tablet twice a day, the course of treatment is selected individually.
Horse chestnut preparations can be used to reduce capillary permeability, reduce blood viscosity and increase venous tone
There are many traditional remedies for varicose veins in the legs, both external and internal. Here are the most common ones:
In addition to folk remedies, many patients with varicose veins add special exercise therapy - Mikulin exercises allow you to feel a significant improvement.
Very often,acute superficial thrombophlebitisappears as a complication of venous insufficiency. Sometimes damage leads to varicose veins and bleeding. When blood is spilled from a broken node, a large amount of blood can be lost.
Also, the blood flow in arteries slows down due to increased pressure in the venous system. Hence,hypoxiaandoxygen starvationcan then develop. Due to the development of such a state, tissue cells can die, which is a dangerous process for the body. Due to a pronounced stagnation of blood in the veins, toxins accumulate in the tissues.
Complications of this disease also become obstructed by blood clots, malnutrition of leg tissues, pigmentation and darkening of the skin.
The subcutaneous fat layer gradually becomes denser, the appearance ofdermatitis,venous ulcer. In very rare cases, such ulcers degenerate into malignancies.
If the disease persists, then the patient may developchronic venous insufficiency.
But the most dangerous complication of varicose veins ispulmonary embolism. This disease is fatal.
If you are in the at-risk group, your loved one has varicose veins or has to stand a lot due to the nature of work - you need to pay special attention to the condition of your feet so you don't miss the "bells. " Firstly.
Basic precautions help prevent the onset of disease while also delaying the progression of existing varicose veins.
Precautions:
Although popular, varicose veins are difficult to treat. When the first alarming symptoms appear, do not delay seeing a vascular surgeon, as the earlier the disease is detected, the higher the chance of avoiding surgery.
Varicose veins of the leg is a disease that can be treated for many years, even after surgical removal in 80% of cases it reappears.
The prognosis depends on the stage of starting treatment. A set of early-stage preventive measures (treating varicose veins with an intravenous tonic 2 times a year and a healthy lifestyle) allows you to prevent further development of the disease. You will have to adhere to a strict prevention framework throughout your life.
At a later stage (with the appearance of severe deformity, lymphadenopathy, edema and signs of oxygen starvation of tissues), the prognosis determines the presence of comorbid diseases (diabetes mellitus, obesity) and the patient is willing to follow the recommendations of the doctor (to be examined, to take medicine, to lose weight).
With diabetes, complications of varicose veins (thrombophlebitis, trophic ulcers) develop in 89%.
Varicose veins are considered to be a non-life-threatening illness, but its complications can greatly worsen your quality of life and prognosis. With deep vein thrombosis, approximately 50% of patients die from thromboembolism within 3 months.