Varicose veins of the legs are not only a cosmetic problem that worries people about their attractiveness, but also a dangerous disease that requires adequate treatment and compliance with preventive measures.
The causes of varicose veins are many: from a sedentary lifestyle, physical overload and ending with hormonal disorders, congenital weakness of the walls of blood vessels, pregnancy. What happens during varicose veins? In varicose veins of the lower extremities, they lose their normal elasticity and stretch under blood pressure.
The valves in the veins are usually locked and when the blood passes through them, they close and allow the blood to flow back. If the valves are defective, blood can flow freely down, leading to 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 this provokes the beginning of the initial stage of varicose veins (see photo).
Why do varicose veins appear and what is it? The main risk factors for the development of the disease are considered to be genetic predisposition and sex. Due to the love of high heels, hormonal changes during pregnancy and taking contraceptives, women are victims of varicose veins twice as often as men.
The development of the disease is encouraged by:
Secondary varicose veins occur in leg injuries, heart defects, liver and spleen dysfunction. In this case, appropriate treatment of the primary disease is carried out in the first place.
The main risk factors for the development of the disease are considered to be genetic predisposition and sex. Due to the love of high heels, hormonal changes during pregnancy and taking contraceptives, women are victims of varicose veins twice as often as men.
The development of the disease is encouraged by:
Secondary varicose veins occur in leg injuries, heart defects, liver and spleen dysfunction. In this case, appropriate treatment of the primary disease is carried out in the first place.
What promotes varicose veins
The development of varicose veins is based on congenital weakness of the venous wall, insufficiency of the valves of the superficial veins and an increase in venous pressure in this regard. Special one-way valves prevent blood from flowing back and prevent it from stagnation in one place, when they break down, 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 in the veins.
There are 3 stages of progression of symptoms in the development of varicose veins.
By itself, varicose veins are not considered a very serious disease, but if it has already developed, it will never go away on its own and even more, will progress, leading to any complications that represent the mostthe greatest danger.
The first signs of varicose veins:
In the later stages of the skin, spider veins, bulging veins and various seals appear, which indicates congestion in the vessels.
It is quite difficult to diagnose the early stages of the disease, as in the initial stage there are no spider veins and varicose veins rising above the skin.
Early symptoms of varicose veins:
Often, before the first spider veins appear or the veins are found in places where they have not been seen before, the patient does not feel other symptoms of the disease and only cosmetic defects on the skin cause discomfort. As a rule, in the early stages the symptoms of varicose veins completely disappear or significantly decrease with rest, which is why they often go unnoticed.
One or more varicose veins protruding above the skin indicate progression and neglect of the disease. Prolonged standing causes painful pain in the nodes, numbness, tingling, "creeping creeping", cracking in the legs. Swelling often occurs at the end of the day, which disappears after a night's sleep. You can judge the swelling on shoes that are free in the morning and start pressing in the evening.
The most common complication of varicose veins is thrombophlebitis. In addition, the increased pressure in the venous area leads to the penetration of erythrocytes through the walls of the vessels into the tissue. Therefore, there is pigmentation of the skin, its thickening and tissue hypoxia, which contributes to the appearance of trophic ulcers. Even with minor damage to the skin in the area of the node can burst and lead to heavy bleeding.
To diagnose varicose veins of the lower extremities and prescribe the appropriate treatment, the specialist will suggest that the patient undergo a comprehensive examination, which includes various methods.
Only a highly qualified phlebologist can diagnose varicose veins.
The complex course of varicose veins is 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 of the feet, redness, darkening, bruising of the skin.
Persistent swelling of the ankle is also common, especially when walking or standing. In the area of the calf, the pain occurs when walking, soreness in the curved vein, hardening of the skin and the formation of ulcers of various sizes on it.
Pregnancy significantly increases the risk of developing varicose veins of the lower extremities, this is facilitated by the following reasons:
For varicose veins of the legs, treatment may not be necessary unless the symptoms are problematic.
However, some people may want to be treated for varicose veins for cosmetic reasons because they are unhappy 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 exercises (excluding sports with a heavy load on the legs - tennis, weightlifting, jumping) play an important role in treatment and prevention.
Conservative treatment of varicose veins is prescribed mainly to those people who have clear contraindications for surgery.
Similar treatment is also indicated if the patient has a slight varicose vein, which is an extremely cosmetic defect. The goal of conservative therapy is also to prevent further progression of this disease. For this purpose, patients are advised to apply a bandage to the legs affected by varicose veins with an elastic bandage. In addition, compression stockings are indicated for varicose veins. People who are prone to varicose veins or already have this disease should regularly put their feet on the podium during the day, thus resting for a few minutes. There are also special exercises for the lower leg and foot, aimed at activating the intravenous pump. This is a periodic lengthening and bending of the ankle and knee joints.
The patient should be careful not to allow the shins and thighs to be pulled together by various toilet objects, as this can significantly impede venous blood flow.
With the help of elastic compression you can activate the flow of blood in the deep veins, prevent swelling, reduce the amount of blood in the saphenous veins, promote metabolic processes in the body and blood microcirculation.
But to achieve positive results, it is important to bandage your legs properly. This process should be done in the morning before getting out of bed. The dressing starts from the toes to the thigh, while a slight tension should be felt in the dressing. In the process of dressing, be sure to grab the heel and ankle joint. The bandage should cover half of the previous circle with each rotation around the limb. Buy only certified elastic bandage and compression stockings.
The treatment of varicose veins also involves wearing comfortable shoes that should have a low heel and a firm sole. You do not have to stay for a long time, to allow physical stress, to stay for a long time in rooms with high temperature and humidity. In sleep, it is advisable to keep your legs in a raised position.
Patients should limit fluid and salt intake and try to get rid ofoverweight. For the treatment of varicose veins it is necessary to periodically take diuretics, drugs that improve venous tone. In addition, if there are indications, the patient may be prescribed drugs that stimulate microcirculation in the tissues. Treatment for varicose veins may also include the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
If the patient has an uncomplicated form of the disease, he is shown physical therapy. Swimming, other water treatments, foot baths with warm water, to which is added 5-10% sodium chloride solution, are very useful.
Very often, local therapies are used to treat varicose veins. But such treatment should be used in combination with other drugs. Local medicines for varicose veins are produced in the form of gels, ointments, creams. Most of these medicines containheparinor venoactive components. Ointments for varicose veins help to normalize the tone of the walls of the veins, they can correct disorders of lymph flow and microcirculation. In some topical preparations several different active ingredients are present in the composition.
If there is a secondary infection during the varicose vein process, it is recommended to use external means withantibioticsorantiseptics.
Hirudotherapyhas been used to treat varicose veins since ancient times. The use of leeches secreting hirudin allows you to dilute the blood, promotes the resorption ofblood clots, getting rid of spider veins and varicose veins. In addition, hirudotherapy for varicose veins can reduce leg pain, overcome swelling. However, it is important to apply hirudotherapy in the earliest stages of varicose veins. This treatment should not be used by people withhemophilia,anemia,hypotension,pregnant women.
However, the radical method of treating varicose veins is surgery. It is performed in order to eliminate venous-venous reflux. Such an operation is not performed if the patient has concomitant diseases of the lungs, cardiovascular system, kidneys and liver. Such an operation should not be performed on pregnant women, as well as on people suffering from purulent diseases. Modern technologies allow the use of endoscopic techniques for such an operation.
If a person has only enlarged small branches, sclerotherapy is allowed. This operation involves injecting a sclerosing solution into a vein to seal the walls of the vein. Repeated injections are then given in other areas of the vein, while complete erasure of the vein is achieved.
In the case of varicose veins, combined surgical therapy is also used, in which large trunks of altered veins are removed and small branches are sclerotherapy. After surgery, patients are advised to continue wearing the elastic bandage for 8-12 weeks.
Those looking for an effective and miraculous cure for varicose veins will immediately have to be upset: even the most modern and expensive drugs are not able to 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 has a noticeable effect only in the initial stage of the disease, after which it is carried out to prevent further development of varicose veins. The leading role in the treatment of this disease belongs to phytopreparations, which are based on natural plant substances. Remember, however, that most venotonic drugs cause photosensitization; when taking them, you should not allow the sun's rays to hit exposed areas of the skin.
In addition to the use of medications, relaxing activities and performing special exercises for the legs, doctors strongly recommend wearing compression stockings: socks, knee highs, tights. They improve blood microcirculation and prevent swelling. It is very important to choose the right size of elastic socks and the degree of compression, which can be both prophylactic and therapeutic.
To improve vascular tone, use venotonic tablets for varicose veins - phlebotonics. These preparations are analogous and contain a purified flavonoid fraction consisting of 90% diosmin. They take one tablet twice a day, the course of treatment is chosen individually.
Horse chestnut preparations can be used to reduce capillary permeability, reduce blood viscosity and increase venous tone
There are a huge number of methods for treating varicose veins in the legs with folk remedies, both for external and internal use. Below are the most common:
In addition to folk remedies, many patients with varicose veins supplement therapy with special gymnastics - Mikulin exercises allow you to feel significant improvement.
Very oftenacute superficial vein thrombophlebitismanifests as a complication of varicose veins. Sometimes the damage causes the veins to rupture and bleed. When blood is spilled from a node that has ruptured, very significant blood loss is possible.
In addition, arterial blood flow is slowed due to increased pressure in the venous system. Therefore,hypoxiaand subsequentoxygen starvationmay develop. Due to the development of such a condition, tissue cells can die, which is a dangerous process for the body. Due to the pronounced stagnation of blood in the veins, toxins accumulate in the tissues.
Complications of this disease also include blockages in the blood, malnutrition of the tissues of the legs, the appearance of pigmentation and darkening of the skin.The layer of subcutaneous adipose tissue gradually becomes denser,dermatitis,venous trophic ulcersappear. In very rare cases, such ulcers degenerate into malignant tumors.
If the disease lasts a long time, then a person may subsequently developchronic 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 have suffered from varicose veins or have to spend a lot of time standing by the nature of their work - you should pay special attention to the condition of your legs so as not to miss the first "bells"“.
Basic preventative measures help prevent the onset of the disease and also slow down the development of existing varicose veins.
Preventive measures:
Despite their prevalence, varicose veins are difficult to treat. When the first alarming symptoms appear, do not delay the visit to a vascular surgeon, because the sooner the disease is detected, the better the chances of avoiding surgery.
Varicose veins of the legs is a disease that can be treated for years, even after surgical removal, it reappears in 80% of cases.
The prognosis depends on the stage of starting treatment. A set of preventive measures in the early stages (treatment of varicose veins with venotonics 2 times a year and a healthy lifestyle) allows you to stop the further development of the disease. Throughout your life, you will need to adhere to a strict prevention framework.
In the later stages (with the appearance of severe deformity, nodules, swelling and signs of oxygen starvation of tissues) the prognosis determines the presence of concomitant diseases (diabetes, obesity) and the patient's desire to follow the doctor's recommendations (to betested, taking medication, losing weight).
In diabetes mellitus complications of varicose veins (thrombophlebitis, trophic ulcers) develop in 89%.
Varicose veins are considered a life-threatening disease, but its complications can significantly impair quality of life and prognosis. In deep vein thrombosis, about 50% of patients die from thromboembolism within 3 months.