As a fairly common disease of veins and arteries, varicose veins with characteristic symptoms help you diagnose the disease in time and prevent the condition from getting worse. There are certain stages of varicose veins, which are accompanied by certain symptoms and can become a sign of both ignoring the pathological process and the opportunity to identify the current changes.
However, today's veneologists do not have a consensus on the isolation of stages of the disease, since the appearance of the manifestations and their characteristic course are not fixed values: Each case has its own characteristics of the presentation and course of this disease, and the background of existing parallel lesions of the body, with a high probability of lubricating manifestations, may interfere with the diagnosis. guess correctly.
Key parameters to determine the stage of varicose veins
The stages of varicose veins are often formed depending on a certain set of manifestations that characterize the degree of neglect of the current pathological process, as well as their effect on the whole organism of the disease. multiply. The classification of the manifestations of this disease is the simplest method for preliminary diagnosis and determining the treatment regimen.
To determine the stage of this disease, it is advisable to answer a few specific questions in order to be able to understand the existing symptoms and, with their help, to determine the severity of the process, which determinesmost likely treatment.
These issues include:
- the presence of characteristic manifestations of varicose veins and the degree of their manifestation;
- location and strength of symptoms;
- the presence of external manifestations of changes in the state of the great veins and arteries;
- identify manifestations that simultaneously worsen the patient's condition.
However, even in the absence of a detailed diagnosis by a phlebologist, during the external examination of the patient, a preliminary diagnosis can be made, from which a diagram of the therapeutic effect and depending onto the specific characteristics of each individual. The patient's body type, the presence of existing comorbidities, and the susceptibility to ongoing exposure make certain adjustments to the treatment. It is important in the process of diagnosing the patient's condition to determine what types of varicose veins occur, their location and the degree of neglect of the pathological process.
Most often, varicose veins affect the lower extremities, since this is the area of the human body that receives the most significant load. At the same time, not everyone is aware of this load on the legs, and not protecting them even if there are some manifestations that signal a need for a more attentive attitude to the limbs and veins. Therefore, in order to understand how the stages of varicose veins differ, it is necessary at least to have a general opinion of the manifestations of this disease, differentiated by severity and danger. great for the health of the feet and the human body as a whole.
The specifics of varicose veins classification
The stages of varicose veins can differ in the form and location of the current pathological process in the veins. This approach is most convenient to understand the degree of neglect of the disease, and also helps to determine the initial cause, thereby eliminating the present manifestations of this condition and the characteristic symptoms early.
Types of varicose veins differ in some specific parameters. The use of a certain classification allows you to determine belonging to an existing group of diseases, which facilitates further diagnosis and the choice of a treatment system. Modern classification according to the location of the main nodes of varicose veins is as follows:
- Varicose veins are located in the superficial layer of the skin and deep veins, while the external manifestations are characterized by segmentation - changes in the state of the veins are noted only in a certain area of the veins. vein.
- Superficial and perforated varicose veins, also noted in some segments of the skin.
- Changes in the state of the veins, in which the enlargement of the veins and pathological changes in the superficial veins in an unmanifest form are diagnosed as reflux.
- Varicose veins, noted in the deep veins, the development of reflux.
The presence of reflux indicates the presence of some pathology, since when reflux, blood flows in the opposite direction. This phenomenon often exacerbates the pathological process of changes in the veins, provokes an exacerbation of varicose veins, followed by the envelopment of an ever larger area of veins and arteries. over. All forms of varicose veins can show signs of reflux, this is already a certain disease and requires medical intervention.
Understanding the severity of the disease makes it possible to start treatment in a timely manner, since even the early stages of the process, relatively minor external manifestations jeopardize the health of your feet. Grade 1 varicose veins may in fact be asymptomatic, but this does not mean that treatment is not needed.
External examination of the affected veins with altered veins will allow the specialist to make a preliminary determination of the possible cause of this disease. However, in order to clarify the diagnosis, one should undergo a full range of diagnostic procedures so that the prevalence of autologous procedures can be established, as well as adjusting the expected therapeutic effect to obtain the desired outcome. the most visible and lasting results. Long-lasting positive results. The classification will help make a diagnosis in accordance with the external manifestations of the disease, as well as determine the system of therapeutic effects.
Classified by severity.
Today, the generally accepted method of classification should be considered as a variant that divides the disease process into certain stages. Each of them has characteristic manifestations, at the beginning of the next period, the degree and intensity of symptoms is noted, a large proportion of the affected area.
The classification of the disease, made depending on the degree of neglect, is as follows:
- Varicose veins in the early stages - in the early stages of the pathological process, there is a gradual accumulation of characteristic manifestations of the disease, which are not always noted by the patient. This stage is often called latent: a person can eliminate discomfort after a whole day spent on their feet because of basic fatigue, the presence of some excess weight. However, if in the listed factors we add the expected time of the child, heredity (if at least one relative has existing varicose veins, a person can assume thatpropensity to develop this disease in oneself safely), then one can ignore the pathological changes manifested in the veins of the lower extremities for a long time;
- The early stages have been characterized by periodic numbness of the legs (especially when holding the same position and standing for long periods of time), soreness in certain parts of the legs, a feeling of tension in the legs, and static. vessels due to deterioration of the quality of blood circulation, the veins simultaneously expand and their tension. External manifestations, the first stage of the disease manifests itself as the appearance of small areas with prominent veins and blood vessels, when pressing on that area can make the patient confused;
- Grade 2 varicose veins may have the following characteristics:
- soreness becomes more pronounced, increasing at the end of the day;
- Bruises and altered areas of veins and capillaries appear on the skin, visible to the naked eye;
- The extent of the lesion increases, manifested by an increase in the area of the lesion.
- Grade 3 varicocele is less curable. All the symptoms are characteristically aggravated, the pain becomes more severe and the affected area covers most of the leg. The condition and color of the skin of the feet changes: they become darker, the skin itself becomes an unhealthy structure, becoming more and more like dead skin. At this stage, varicose veins almost always require surgical intervention, because there is a high risk of a blood clot growing and detaching from the vessel wall, which can block the lumen and lead to serious consequences. as a risk. limb amputation. The third stage is the most dangerous because it is easy to have negative manifestations at the same time during treatment.
At the second level of this pathological process, there is a heavy leg, sensation of veins and skin, so-called goosebumps in the legs and in the skin may appear, unrelated to theexternal factors. . Venous insufficiency grade 2 is still treatable; In the later stages, the aggravation of the disease takes place at an increasingly rapid rate and affects more and more areas of the lower extremities, and the treatment process is difficult and not always effective. positive;
There is also capillary varicose veins, in which small blood vessels have to receive loads, the quality of blood circulation gradually deteriorates, characteristic signs appear such as fatigue in the limbs, swelling of the affected tissues. effect and change color. of the skin at the site of injury.
Varicose veins have more complicated stages, while the treatment method is determined based on the location of the lesion and the subjective manifestations of the disease. Anyone who has noticed at least one of the signs of this terrible disease should remember that the short-term chance of the disease progressing to a more advanced stage and the health of the lower extremities is greatly impaired. high. In addition, in the absence of the necessary treatment, the patient can become disabled - according to medical statistics, it takes an average of 11 years from the time of the first characteristic manifestations of the disease. appear.
Why is treatment necessary?
Varicose veins of the lower extremities, also known as VBNK, are accompanied by gradual decline in blood circulation, symptoms appear more and more, and need immediate emergency care. When varicose veins of the lower extremities are detected, a more detailed diagnosis of veins and blood vessels is carried out, the degree of neglect of the process is determined.
Lower limb disease needs to be treated as the current pathological process is getting worse, affecting more and more different areas. The likelihood of residual disability is high, especially at an older age, when basic bodily functions are impaired and disease resistance is reduced. And when the lesions appear at the same time, the treatment of varicose veins of the legs is even more difficult.
Since the disease is characterized by many different types (or stages), differing in the severity of the pathological process, treatment should be carried out in accordance with the results of the diagnosis made, as well as the nature of the disease. to the individual characteristics of the organism.