Varicose veins in the legs are not only an aesthetic problem that worries people for their attractiveness, but also a dangerous disease that requires adequate treatment and adherence to preventive measures.
The causes of varicose veins are many: from a sedentary lifestyle, physical overload and ending with hormonal disorders, congenital weakness of the blood vessel walls, pregnancy. What happens during varicose veins? With the varicose veins in the lower extremities, they lose their normal elasticity and stretch under blood pressure.
The valves in the veins are normally closed and, when blood passes through them, they close and allow the blood to flow again. If the valves are malfunctioning, the blood can be released freely downwards, which leads to blood stasis.
In this sense, the veins do not support the pressure, they expand, the valves are no longer able to block the large lumen. . . all this causes the appearance of an initial stage of varicose veins (see photo).
Why do varicose veins occur and what are they? The main risk factors for the development of the disease are considered genetic predisposition and gender. Because of their love for high heels, hormonal changes during pregnancy and the use of contraceptives, women suffer from varicose veins twice as often as men.
The development of the disease is promoted by:
Secondary varicose veins occur with leg injuries, heart defects, liver and spleen disorders. In that case, first, the primary disease is adequately treated.
The main risk factors for the development of the disease are considered genetic predisposition and gender. Because of their love for high heels, hormonal changes during pregnancy and the use of contraceptives, women suffer from varicose veins twice as often as men.
The development of the disease is promoted by:
Secondary varicose veins occur with leg injuries, heart defects, liver and spleen disorders. In that case, first, the primary disease is adequately treated.
What promotes varicose veins
The development of varicose vessels is based on the congenital weakness of the venous wall, the insufficiency of the valves of the superficial veins and the related increase in venous pressure. Special one-way valves prevent blood from returning and prevent it from stagnating in one place; when they are destroyed, the movement of blood from the tissues back to the heart is stopped. It should be noted that conservative treatment does not affect the pressure in the veins.
There are 3 stages of symptom progression in the development of varicose veins.
By itself, varicose veins are not considered a very serious disease, but if they have already developed, they will never go away on their own and, even more, they will progress, leading to all kinds of complications that represent the greatest danger.
The first signs that indicate the beginning of the development of varicose veins:
In later stages, spider veins appear on the skin, protruding veins and several seals, indicating congestion in the vessels.
Diagnosing the initial stages of the disease is quite difficult, because in the initial stage there are no dilated veins and veins rising above the skin.
Early symptoms of varicose veins:
Often, before the first spider veins or veins appear in places where they have not been seen, the patient does not feel the other symptoms of the disease, and only aesthetic defects in the skin cause disorders. As a rule, in the early stages, symptoms of varicose veins disappear completely or decrease significantly with rest, so they often go unnoticed.
One or more varicose veins protruding above the skin indicate disease progression and neglect. With prolonged standing, painful pain occurs in the area of the nodules, numbness, tingling, "crawling chills", bursting in the legs. At the end of the day, swelling usually occurs, which disappears after a night's sleep. You can evaluate edema by shoes that are free in the morning, which start to press at night.
Thrombophlebitis is one of the most common complications of varicose veins. In addition, the increased pressure in the venous section leads to the penetration of erythrocytes through the vessel walls into the tissue. Because of this, skin pigmentation, thickening and tissue hypoxia are observed, which contributes to the appearance of trophic ulcers. Even with minor damage to the skin in the lump area, it can break and bleed a lot.
In order to diagnose varicose veins of the lower limbs and prescribe the appropriate treatment, the specialist will offer the patient a complete examination, which includes several methods.
Only a highly qualified phlebologist can diagnose deep varicose veins.
The complicated 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 the discoloration of the skin on the legs, redness, darkening, bluish skin.
Persistent ankle edema is also common, especially when walking or standing. In the calf region, pain occurs when walking, irritation along the convoluted vein, hardening of the skin and formation of ulcers of various sizes.
Pregnancy significantly increases the risk of developing varicose veins in the lower extremities, which is facilitated for the following reasons:
For varicose veins in the legs, treatment may not be a medical necessity unless the symptoms are problematic.
However, some people may want to be treated for varicose veins for cosmetic reasons, because they are not satisfied with their appearance.
Let's look at the main methods that will help you get rid of this problem.
Physical activity - brisk walking, gymnastics, swimming and water exercises (excluding sports exercises with a heavy load on the legs - sneakers, weightlifting, jumping) play an important role in treatment and prevention.
Conservative treatment of varicose veins is prescribed mainly for those people who have clear contraindications for surgical intervention.
Similar treatment is also indicated if the patient has a slight dilation of the veins, an exclusively cosmetic defect. The goal of conservative therapy is also to prevent the progression of this disease. Therefore, patients are advised to use elastic bandages on the legs affected by varicose veins. In addition, compression stockings are shown for varicose veins. People with a tendency to varicose veins or already sick with this disease should regularly place their feet on an elevated platform throughout the day, thus resting for several minutes. There are also special exercises for the leg and foot, in order to activate the muscle-venous pump. This is the periodic extension and flexion of the ankle and knee joints.
The patient must be careful not to allow the shins and thighs to be pulled together by different items in the bathroom, as this can significantly impede the flow of venous blood.
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, promote the body's metabolic processes and blood microcirculation.
But for positive results, it is important to bandage the leg properly. This process must be done in the morning, before getting out of bed. The bandage starts from the toes to the thigh, while a slight tension should be felt in the bandage. In the bandaging process, be sure to grab the heel and ankle joint. The bandage with each lap around the limb should cover half of the previous round. Buy only certified elastic bandages and compression stockings.
The treatment of varicose veins also involves the use of comfortable shoes, which must have low heels and hard soles. One should not stand for a long time, allow physical stress, stay in environments with high temperature and humidity for a long time. In the dream, it is advisable to keep your legs in an elevated 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 the tone of the veins. In addition, if there are indications, medications that stimulate tissue microcirculation can be prescribed to the patient. Therapy 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 will receive physical therapy. Swimming, other aquatic procedures, scalding with warm water, to which a 5-10% sodium chloride solution is added, are very useful.
Very often, local methods of therapy are used to treat varicose veins. But this treatment must be used in combination with other medication methods. Local remedies for varicose veins are produced in the form of gels, ointments, creams. Most of these drugs containheparinor venoactive components. Ointments for varicose veins help to normalize the tone of the walls of the veins, they can correct disturbances of the exit of the lymph and of the microcirculation. In some local preparations, several different active ingredients are present in the composition.
If during the process of varicose veins there is a secondary infection, then it is advisable to use external agents withantibioticsorantiseptics.
Since ancient times,hirudotherapyfor varicose veins has been used for treatment. The use of leeches, secreting hirudin, allows you to thin the blood, promote the reabsorption ofblood clots, eliminating spider veins and varicose veins. In addition, hirudotherapy for varicose veins can reduce leg pain and overcome edema. However, it is important to apply hirudotherapy in the early stages of varicose veins. This treatment should not be used by people withhemophilia,anemia,hypotension,pregnant women.
However, a radical method of treating varicose veins is surgery. It is performed to eliminate venous venous reflux. This operation is not performed if the patient has concomitant diseases in the lungs, cardiovascular system, kidneys and liver. This operation should not be performed on pregnant women, as well as on people suffering from purulent diseases. Modern technologies make it possible to use endoscopic techniques for such an operation.
If a person has only small dilated branches, sclerotherapy is allowed. This operation involves injecting a sclerosing solution into the vein to adhere to the vein walls. After that, repeated injections are performed in other sections of the vein, while complete vein obliteration is achieved.
For 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 using the elastic bandage for 8-12 weeks.
Those looking for a miraculous and effective cure for varicose veins will have to be upset immediately: even the most modern and expensive drugs are not able to completely eliminate varicose veins. They help to relieve pain, swelling and even improve the condition of the venous wall, but there is no complete recovery.
In addition, conservative treatment has a tangible effect only in the initial phase of the disease, after it is carried out to prevent the development of varicose veins. The main role in the treatment of this disease belongs to phytopreparations, which are based on natural plant substances. However, do not forget that most venotonic medications cause photosensitization, when taking them the sun's rays should not be allowed to reach open areas of the skin.
In addition to the use of drugs, relaxing activities and special exercises for the legs, doctors strongly recommend the regular use of compression stockings: stockings, high tops, tights. They improve blood microcirculation and prevent the formation of edema. It is very important to choose the right size of the elastic stocking and the degree of compression, which can be prophylactic and therapeutic.
To improve vascular tone, use venotonic tablets for varicose veins - phlebotonics. These preparations are analogous and contain a fraction of purified flavonoids 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 a large number of methods for treating varicose veins in the legs with folk remedies, both for external and internal use. Below are the most common ones:
In addition to folk remedies, many patients with varicose veins complement therapy with special gymnastics - Mikulin exercises allow you to feel a significant improvement.
Very often,acute superficial venous thrombophlebitismanifests itself as a complication of varicose veins. Sometimes the damage results in rupture and bleeding from the varicose veins. When blood is spilled from a broken lump, very significant blood loss is possible.
In addition, arterial blood flow decreases due to increased pressure in the venous system. Because of this,hypoxiaand subsequentlack of oxygencan occur. Due to the development of such a condition, tissue cells can die, which is a dangerous process for the body. Due to the marked stagnation of blood in the veins, toxins accumulate in the tissues.
The complications of this disease also turn into blockages by blood clots, malnutrition of the leg tissues, appearance of pigmentation and darkening of the skin.
The subcutaneous fat layer gradually becomes more dense,dermatitis,venous trophic ulcersappear. In very rare cases, these ulcers degenerate into malignant formations.
If the disease persists for a long period, the 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 suffer from varicose veins or spend a lot of time standing up due to the nature of their work - you need to pay special attention to the condition of your legs so as not to miss the first "bells".
Basic preventive measures help to prevent the onset of the disease and also to slow the progress of existing varicose veins.
Preventive measures:
Despite their prevalence, varicose veins are difficult to treat. When the first alarming symptoms appear, do not postpone the visit to the vascular surgeon, as the sooner the disease is detected, the greater the chances of avoiding surgery.
Varicose veins in the legs are a disease that can be treated for years, even after surgical removal in 80% of cases it reappears.
The prognosis depends on the stage at which treatment is started. A set of preventive measures in the early stages (treatment of varicose veins with venotonics twice a year and a healthy lifestyle) prevents the development of the disease. You will have to adhere to a strict prevention framework throughout your life.
In the later stages (with the appearance of severe deformities, nodules, edema and signs of lack of oxygen in the tissues), the prognosis determines the presence of concomitant diseases (diabetes mellitus, obesity) and the patient's readiness to follow the recommendationsfrom the doctor (being examined, taking medication, losing weight).
With diabetes mellitus, complications of varicose veins (thrombophlebitis, trophic ulcers) develop in 89%.
Varicose veins are considered a non-life-threatening disease, but their complications can greatly worsen quality of life and prognosis. With deep vein thrombosis, about 50% of patients die from thromboembolism within 3 months.