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WHAT IS VARICOSIS?

Many people experience varicose veins in their lifetime.Unfortunately, this is a fairly common phenomenon that affects not only the legs, as is commonly believed, but also other organs.Fortunately, it is treatable.True, it is long and complex and should be started only after fully understanding the reasons for its appearance.

WHAT CAUSES VARICOSIS, WHO SHOULD BE CONCERNED?

The main symptoms of the onset of the disease:

  • the appearance of spider veins, or even a network;
  • veins became visible;
  • the skin on the legs is uncomfortably dry;
  • leg muscle cramps;
  • at the end of the day, leg swelling and heaviness appeared;
  • thickening or darkening;
  • the veins became sensitive.
Varicose veins

What are varicose veins?This question troubles many middle-aged people and others.This term refers to swelling of the veins in the lower extremities.The veins swell, form knots, become very tortuous and create a bumpy blue surface.

This happens because the blood flow in the veins is not good enough.The blood stops moving as it should, causing the pressure inside the vein to increase.When it exceeds all normal levels, the excess blood begins to stretch the walls of the veins.The edges of blood vessels approach the upper layer of the epidermis and become visible to the naked eye.The first sign of varicose veins is the appearance of vascular networks.Veins on the legs that are visible through the surface of the skin are diseased.

Varicose veins - what they are has been known since ancient times.Even Byzantine doctors mentioned this disease in their works.The Egyptians dealt with it by using elastic bandages, and Hippocrates, Avicenna and Paracelsus tried to invent more effective ways to treat it.

It is very frightening that this pathology is very common - approximately 25 percent of the world's population is susceptible to this disease.Phlebologists say that the main cause of varicose veins is a weak level of connective tissue development in the legs.Women most often suffer from this disease, because constant hormonal changes create good conditions for the development of the disease.

What are varicose veins

PREVENTION OF VARICOSIS

Good strong veins require constant self-care.In the initial stage, varicose veins destroy the beauty of the legs and pose a slight threat to health, but as they progress, they create complications and are life-threatening.Varicose veins of other organs are most often companions of various diseases, and to achieve the right effect, it is necessary to treat them together with them.Risk groups that must first remember about the prevention of varicose veins:

  1. Anyone who leads a sedentary lifestyle.
  2. It costs a lot during the day, for example at work.
  3. Who is overweight or obese.
  4. Constantly wears high heels or shoes that are too tight.
  5. He has diseases (or recent surgery) in the pelvic area.
  6. Wears tight clothing that impedes blood flow.
  7. He often sits with his legs crossed.
  8. Pregnant women.
  9. Athletes who train with regular overloads.
  10. He takes hormonal drugs.

Many people do not even suspect that they are carriers of a serious disease.The advanced stage of this disease is quite difficult to treat, unlike the initial stage.Therefore, everyone, especially those who have a bad heritage, must know what varicose veins are, their symptoms and remember that a timely visit to a phlebologist is simply necessary, just like a preventive examination at the dentist.You should take care of your health yourself, and not let things take their course.

Varicose veins, what is it?

To understand what varicose veins are, let's look at the main causes of this disease.As you know, our body is permeated with a dense network of blood vessels, some of which drive blood to the heart - veins, others, on the contrary, carry it in the opposite direction - arteries.As long as the system works smoothly and the blood vessels are clean, elastic and not subject to excessive stress, everything is fine.If regular breakdowns begin, sooner or later they can lead to diseases, one of which is varicose veins.

It can appear in any part of the body, but is most often found in the extremities.Partly because, raising blood to the legs, the veins bear heavy loads, partly because our limbs are one of the busiest parts of our body - we are forced to lift weights, walk a lot, stand or sit, which is also bad, because it interferes with the normal flow of blood.

DIFFERENT VEINS OF THE EXTREMITIES: COMPLICATIONS

The most common form of this disease, what is basically meant when varicose veins are mentioned, are varicose veins of the legs.Its initial symptoms are listed above, but what can lead to neglect of treatment?Here are the main complications of this disease:

  • thrombophlebitis;
  • phlebotrombosis;
  • trophic ulcers;
  • bleeding from varicose veins.

What is thrombophlebitis?It is inflammation of the walls of the external veins and the appearance of blood clots on them, which not only narrow the space for blood flow, but ultimately can completely block the vessel.Follows varicose veins of the extremities almost from the beginning.And a person who does not take care of his veins, as a result, and a bunch of complications, gets acute thrombophlebitis, when a blood clot not only interferes with blood circulation, but is also the center of inflammation, affecting not only the walls of the vessel, but also nearby tissues.

Phlebothrombosis- this is the name of deep venous thrombophlebitis, an equally serious and difficult-to-treat disease, when thrombosis impedes blood flow, and the vessels and tissues around them become inflamed.What is thrombosis?It is the appearance of blood clots in the vessels, which obstruct the flow of blood or even completely block the lumen of blood vessels.Even a partial reduction in the supply of fresh blood slows down tissue metabolism and leads to the accumulation of its products, and a complete blockage can ultimately lead to cell death, i.e. tissue necrosis.

The special danger of these diseases is that it can ultimately lead to thromboembolism - a blood clot, after breaking off, migrates through the bloodstream throughout the body, blocking one of the large arteries, which in turn can be fatal.

Another serious problem, varicose veins in the last stages, are trophic ulcers - open, long-term non-healing wounds.How long?If the wound does not seem to heal within a month and a half, it is a trophic ulcer.It is treated, but it is a long-term and complex treatment, when you have to combine surgical and therapeutic methods.

No less dangerous is a complication such as bleeding from varicose veins.It can be caused simply by the thinning of the blood vessels in places of thickening or by mechanical stress.Because it costs nothing to damage a dish that has become thin and lost its elasticity.Don't think this only applies to external veins;those deep down are equally "delicate" and susceptible to any stress, shock or displacement.

Consequences of not treating varicose veins in the photo:

Consequences of not treating varicose veins

The dilated veins in the video leave an even more depressing impression.To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to consult a doctor as soon as possible and strictly follow all his instructions, both in treatment and in lifestyle.

TYPES OF VARICOSIS

As already mentioned, there are other types of varicose veins.There are many of them;these diseases arise for different reasons, and while some are quite widespread, others are very rare, usually associated with other diseases.

  1. Reticular varicose veins are a network of blue stars on the thighs and calves.It occurs even in young and thin people and is often considered only a cosmetic defect, although this is the first bell - you need to visit a phlebologist.
  2. Stars and vascular networks on the face are a reason to go to an endocrinologist, because it often indicates that a person has problems in the endocrine system.Although the reason can also be in the way of life - alcohol abuse, fatty and unhealthy food, sunbathing, the habit of squeezing acne.
  3. Varicose veins on the hands - most often this problem occurs in athletes and those whose work requires a constant heavy load on the hands.
  4. A varicocele is an enlarged vein that surrounds the testicles.It is a very common pathology, so men, especially teenagers, must consult a doctor at the first symptoms, because failure to treat it often leads to infertility.
  5. Hemorrhoids are enlarged rectal veins.This can be caused not only by a sedentary lifestyle, but also by weight lifting, pregnancy, constipation and a number of other reasons.
  6. Varicose veins of the legs have several stages and if treatment is not undertaken in the initial stage, it can lead to serious vascular pathologies and disability.
  7. Varicose veins of internal organs most often occur as a complication of other diseases or in the postoperative period.These can be enlarged veins of the pelvic organs, stomach, esophagus, etc.

This is a short list of the main types of this serious disease.You can learn about how to treat varicose veins of each type from the detailed articles published on our website.We try to regularly talk about both traditional and the most modern methods of treatment.

CHRONIC VENOUS INSUFFICIENCY

The source of this problem is bipedalism, which means that we are the only species on Earth that is susceptible to it.We won't go into the pseudoscientific hypotheses that explain why this happened, although some of them are pretty ridiculous.One, for example, assumes that humanity arrived on Earth from Mars, where the force of gravity is much smaller, and therefore our body is not adapted to earthly loads, second, that humans were created by aliens and are somewhere underdeveloped.Be that as it may, walking upright requires the blood vessels to raise the blood to a considerable height, which means that it puts them under serious stress.

Usually, this system works harmoniously, blood quickly and evenly supplies all parts of the body with oxygen and necessary substances.But if some malfunction occurs (injury, for example) or the body is constantly under the influence of some unfavorable factors (hard work, heavy weight, hormonal deficiency, etc.), CVI develops - chronic venous insufficiency.In recent decades, this disease has become much younger and now occurs not only in the older generation, but also in adolescents, so everyone should know its symptoms:

  • telangiectasia - expansion of small surface vessels;
  • swelling of the legs, worse in the evening;
  • cramps, goosebumps and other painful sensations in the muscles of the lower leg;
  • cold feet;
  • leg skin pigmentation;
  • general discomfort and tiredness during the day.

As you can see, they largely coincide with the symptoms of varicose veins listed at the beginning of the article, because this is the beginning of the same disease - varicose veins.Therefore, if you have at least some of these signs, you must immediately contact a phlebologist who will prescribe treatment and help you decide on your diet and lifestyle.Varicose veins are not a disease that can be cured with pills, it is actually a way of life that must be constantly followed in order to avoid more serious stages of its development.

The source of the problem is the upright posture

Modern science offers a multitude of treatment methods that to a certain extent compensate for CVI, removing its external manifestations and generally having a positive effect on the condition of blood vessels.For example, read about spider veins on the legs, their causes and treatment.Medicine now offers a number of measures to combat this "cosmetic" defect, including:

  • conservative therapy - ointments and tablets to strengthen the walls of blood vessels and stimulate blood flow;
  • compression therapy – special medical underwear;
  • invasive therapy - microthermocoagulation, microsclerotherapy.

Also effective methods that help to solve telangiectasia and its causes include therapeutic exercises and lymphatic drainage massage.

Treatment of varicose veins with complications is much more difficult, but here too the integrated approach does its job.What do you mean?Here is what modern medicine offers:

  1. Therapeutic methods - medicines, special underwear, massage, physiotherapy.
  2. Surgical methods (phlebectomy, miniphlebectomy, short stripping, endoscopic vein dissection, etc.).This is the most radical method of treating varicose veins, which requires not only preparation for the operation, its professional implementation, but also qualified postoperative observation.

Treatment of varicose veins with drugs involves the use of drugs both for oral administration - such as drops, tablets and capsules, as well as for application to the skin - these are various ointments that are used to rub painful legs.Some drugs narrow and strengthen blood vessels, others relieve inflammation, and others reduce blood clotting, so they can only be used with a doctor's prescription.External means, i.e. various creams, ointments and jellies, usually have analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic properties.They are often supplemented with components that affect blood clotting.These drugs act mainly on superficial blood vessels, but have fewer contraindications.

After detecting chronic venous insufficiency, if possible, it is necessary to rule out the causes of venous disease.That is, change a job that requires you to stand on your feet all day or lift weights, lose weight, give up spicy food, etc.It is clear that, for example, you cannot remove a hereditary predisposition, but knowing this, you can choose a suitable profession and monitor the condition of your veins, including visiting a phlebologist once a year for prevention.Despite all the advances in medicine, our health is still in our hands.