Varicose veins in the legs are not only a cosmetic problem that worries people about their attractiveness, but also a dangerous disease that requires adequate treatment and adherence to preventive measures.
Causes of varicose veins abound: from unsteady lifestyle, physical load and ending with hormonal disorders, congenital weakness of blood vessel walls, pregnancy. What happens during varicose veins? With varicose veins in the lower part of the leg, they lose their normal elasticity, and stretch under blood pressure.
The valve in the vein is usually locked, and as blood flows through it, it closes and lets the blood flow out and out. If the valve does not work, blood can be sent freely down, causing blood stasis.
Accordingly, the vein cannot cope with the pressure, it expands, the valve can no longer block the large lumen. . . all of these provoke the onset of the early stages of varicose veins (see photo).
Why do varicose veins occur, and what are they? The main risk factors for the development of this disease are considered to be genetic and gender predisposition. Because of high heels, hormonal changes during pregnancy and taking birth control pills, women fall victim to varicose veins twice as often as men.
Disease development is promoted by:
Secondary varicose veins occur with leg injuries, heart defects, liver and spleen dysfunction. In this case, first of all, appropriate primary disease treatment is carried out.
The main risk factors for the development of this disease are considered to be genetic and gender predisposition. Because of high heels, hormonal changes during pregnancy and taking birth control pills, women fall victim to varicose veins twice as often as men.
Disease development is promoted by:
Secondary varicose veins occur with leg injuries, heart defects, liver and spleen dysfunction. In this case, first of all, appropriate primary disease treatment is carried out.
What drives varicose veins
The development of varicose blood vessels is based on congenital weakness of the venous wall, lack of superficial venous valves, and increased venous pressure associated with this. A special one-way valve prevents blood from flowing backwards and prevents its stagnation in one place; when it is destroyed, the movement of blood from the tissues back to the heart is disrupted. It should be noted that conservative treatment does not affect the pressure on the veins.
There are 3 stages of symptom development in the development of varicose veins.
By itself, varicose veins are not considered a very serious disease, but if they do develop, they will not go away on their own, and moreover, the disease will develop, leading to various complications that pose the greatest danger.
The first signs of the onset of varicose vein development:
At a later stage, spider veins appear on the skin, protruding veins and various seals, indicating congestion in the vessel.
It is quite difficult to diagnose the early stages of the disease, as in the early stages there are no spider veins and dilated veins that rise above the skin.
Symptoms of early varicose veins:
Often, before the first spider veins appear or the veins are found in a place never seen before, the patient does not feel the symptoms of another disease, and only cosmetic defects on the skin cause discomfort. As a rule, in the early stages, the symptoms of varicose veins disappear completely or decrease with rest, therefore they are often unnoticed.
One or more varicose veins protruding above the skin indicates the development and neglect of the disease. With prolonged position, pain is felt in the area of the varicose veins, numbness, tingling, "creeping crawling", a feeling of rupture in the legs. By the end of the day, swelling often occurs, which disappears after a night's sleep. You can judge about edema with free shoes in the morning, which starts to press in the evening.
Thrombophlebitis is one of the most common varicose vein complications. In addition, increased pressure on the venous area causes the penetration of erythrocytes through the vascular wall into the tissue. Therefore, skin pigmentation, its thickening and tissue hypoxia are observed, which contributes to the appearance of trophic ulcers. Although there is minor damage to the skin in the knot area, it can rupture and cause severe bleeding.
To diagnose varicose veins in the lower part of the leg and prescribe appropriate treatment, the specialist will offer the patient to undergo a thorough examination, which includes a variety of methods.
Only a highly qualified phlebologist can diagnose deep varicose veins.
Complicated varicose veins are accompanied by the formation of thrombosis and inflammation of the veins, trophic ulcers and skin diseases. These complications are manifested in discoloration of the skin on the feet, redness, darkness, blue skin.
Persistent swelling of the ankles is also common, especially when walking or standing. In the calf area, pain occurs while walking, pain along the twisted veins, indentation on the skin and the formation of boils of various sizes on it.
Pregnancy increases the risk of developing varicose veins in the lower leg, this is due to the following reasons:
For varicose veins in the legs, treatment may not be a medical necessity but the symptoms are problematic.
However, some people may want to be treated for varicose veins for cosmetic reasons because they are not happy with their appearance.
Let's analyze the main methods that will help get rid of this problem.
Physical activity - brisk walking, gymnastics, swimming and water training (excluding sports exercises with heavy loads on the legs - tennis, weightlifting, jumping) play an important role in treatment and prevention.
Conservative treatment of varicose veins is especially prescribed for people who have obvious contraindications to surgical intervention.
A similar treatment is also indicated if the patient has a slight enlargement of the vein, which is an exclusive cosmetic defect. The goal of conservative therapy is also to prevent the further development of the disease. For this purpose, patients are advised to use a bandage for varicose veins with elastic bandages. In addition, compression socks are indicated for varicose veins. People who have a tendency to varicose veins or are already sick with the disease should regularly place their feet on a raised platform throughout the day, thus resting for a few minutes. There are also special exercises for the legs and lower legs, which aim to activate the muscle vein pump. This is a periodic extension and bending of the ankle and knee joints.
Patients should be careful not to let dry bones and thighs be pulled together by different toilet items, as this can significantly hinder venous blood flow.
With the help of elastic compression, you can activate blood flow in the deep veins, prevent edema, reduce the amount of blood in the saphenous veins, smooth the body's metabolic processes and blood microcirculation.
But to achieve a positive result, it is important to wrap the legs properly. This process must be done in the morning, before waking up from sleep. The bandage starts from the toes to the thighs, while a slight strain should be felt on the bandage. In the process of bandaging, be sure to stretch the heel and ankle joints. The bandage with each rotation of the limbs should cover half of the previous round. Buy only certified elastic bandages and compression socks.
Varicose vein treatment also means wearing comfortable shoes, which should have low heels and hard soles. You can not last long, let go of physical stress, stay in a room with high temperature and humidity for a long time. In a dream, it is advisable to keep the foot in a high position.
Patients should limit their intake of fluids and salts and try to get rid ofoverweight. For the treatment of varicose veins, it is necessary to periodically take diuretics, drugs that improve the tone of the veins. In addition, if there are indications, the patient may be given a drug that stimulates microcirculation in tissues. Therapy for varicose veins also includes the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
If the patient has an uncomplicated form of the disease, he or she is shown physical therapy. Swimming, other water procedures, foot baths with warm water, to which 5-10% sodium chloride solution is added, are very useful.
Often local therapy methods are used in the treatment of varicose veins. But such treatment must be used in conjunction with other drug methods. Local remedies for varicose veins are produced in the form of gels, ointments, creams. Most of these drugs containheparinor venoaactive components. Ointments for varicose veins help normalize the tone of the venous wall, can correct disorders of lymph outflow and microcirculation. In some local preparations, there are several different active ingredients in the composition.
If in the process of varicose veins there is a secondary infection, it is recommended to use an external agent withantibioticsorantiseptics.
Since ancient times,hirudotherapyfor varicose veins has been used for treatment. The use of leeches, secretes hirudin, allows you to thin the blood, encourages the reabsorption ofblood clots, removes spider veins and varicose veins. In addition, hirudotherapy for varicose veins can reduce pain in the legs, overcoming 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 women.
However, the radical method of treating varicose veins is surgery. It is done to relieve venous reflux. Such surgery is not performed if the patient has diseases of the lungs, cardiovascular system, kidneys, and liver. You can not perform such operations on pregnant women, as well as people suffering from purulent diseases. Modern technology makes it possible to use endoscopic techniques for such operations.
If a person only enlarges a small branch, sclerotherapy is allowed. This operation involves the introduction of sclerosing solution into a vein to attach the venous wall. After that, repeated injections are performed on other parts of the vein, while achieving complete vein removal.
For varicose veins, combined surgical therapy is also used, in which a large stem of the altered vein is removed and a small branch is sclerotherapy. After surgery, patients are advised to continue to wear elastic bandages for 8-12 weeks.
Those who are looking for an effective and miraculous varicose vein cure will soon be angry: even the most modern and expensive medicine cannot completely eliminate varicose veins. They help relieve pain, swelling and even improve the condition of the venous wall, but there is no complete recovery.
In addition, conservative treatment brings real effects only in the early stages of the disease, once done to prevent further development of varicose veins. The main role in the treatment of this disease includes fitopreparations, which are based on natural plant material. However, do not forget that most venotonic drugs cause photosensitive sensitivity; while taking it, you should not let sunlight hit the open skin area.
In addition to the use of medications, leisure activities and special exercises for the feet, doctors strongly recommend that you always wear compression socks: stockings, knee-high, tight. They improve blood circulation and prevent the formation of edema. It is very important to choose the right size of elastic stockings and the degree of compression, which can be prophylactic and therapeutic.
To improve vascular tone, use venotonic tablets for varicose veins - phlebotonics. This preparation is similar and contains a purified fraction of flavonoids consisting of 90% diosmin. They are taken one tablet twice a day, the course of treatment is individually selected.
Horse chestnut preparations can be used to reduce capillary permeability, reduce blood viscosity and improve venous tone
There are a large number of methods for treating varicose veins on the legs with folk remedies, both for external and internal use. Here are the most common:
In addition to folk remedies, many patients with varicose veins complete therapy with special gymnastics - Mikulin training allows you to feel a significant improvement.
Very often,acute superficial venous thrombophlebitisappears as a complication of varicose veins. Occasionally, damage causes varicose veins to rupture and bleed. When blood is poured from a ruptured knot, the possibility of blood loss is very significant.
In addition, arterial blood flow slows down due to increased pressure on the venous system. Therefore,hypoxiaandoxygen starvationin turn may develop. Due to the development of such conditions, tissue cells can die, which is a dangerous process for the body. Due to the obvious stagnation of blood in the veins, toxins accumulate in the tissues.
Complications of this disease are also obstructed by blood clots, malnutrition in the tissues of the feet, the appearance of pigmentation and darkening of the skin.
Gradually, the subcutaneous fat layer becomes denser,dermatitis,venous trophic ulcersappear. In very rare cases, such boils degenerate into malignant formations.
If the disease persists for a long time, the person will then sufferchronic venous insufficiency.
But the most dangerous complication of varicose veins ispulmonary embolism. This disease is fatal.
If you belong to a risk group, your relatives suffer from varicose veins or have to spend a lot of time with their working conditions - you need to pay special attention to the condition of your feet so as not to miss the first "bell".
Basic preventive measures help prevent the onset of the disease, as well as slow down the development of existing varicose veins.
Precautions:
Although common, varicose veins are difficult to treat. When the first alarming symptoms appear, do not delay a visit to a vascular surgeon, as the sooner the disease is detected, the more likely it is to avoid surgery.
Varicose veins on the legs are a disease that can be treated for many years, even after surgery is removed in 80% of cases reappear.
Prognosis depends on the stage at which treatment is started. A set of preventive measures at an early stage (treatment of varicose veins with venotonics 2 times a year and a healthy lifestyle) allows you to stop the progression of the disease. You must adhere to a strict preventive framework throughout your life.
At a later stage (with the appearance of defects, nodes, edema and signs of oxygen starvation on the tissues), the prognosis determines the presence of concomitant diseases (diabetes mellitus, obesity) and the patient's willingness to follow the doctor's recommendations (examined, medication, weight lossbody).
With complications of diabetes mellitus varicose veins (thrombophlebitis, trophic ulcers) develop at 89%.
Varicose veins are considered a non-life threatening disease, but their complications can worsen the quality of life and prognosis. With deep vein thrombosis, about 50% of patients die from thromboembolism within 3 months.