Varicose veins or in common people, varicose veins are the irreversible and persistent stretching and widening of the veins, mainly of the lower extremities, as well as the formation of the most "nodes". determined by pathology of the venous wall or by a genetic defect. (lack of their valves).
Today, varicose veins are a very common disease. It affects every tenth man and every third woman. The more sedentary a person leads a sedentary lifestyle, the more likely they are to get this disease.
USA, France, UK - are the leading countries in the prevalence of varicose veins (average more than 30% of the population).
Causes of varicose veins
This usefulness occurs with an increase in venous pressure. It is generally accepted that varicose veins are reserved only for the lower part, however, there are veins of the esophagus, stomach, testicular veins or varicose veins of the small pelvis.
By the way, the latter is one of the causes of such a fairly common disease as hemorrhoids.
The main reasons for the development of varicose veins include:
- Gender: Most often in female representatives, varicose veins are provoked by taking various hormonal drugs or by pregnancy.
- Genetic
- Increased venous pressure, including due to weight problems, sedentary lifestyle.
The above reasons contribute to both dilation of the veins and disruption of the normal functioning of the venous valves.
Stages of the disease
The following stages of varicose veins are distinguished:
- Initial- it is characterized by pain in the legs, swelling and worsening. Prevention of the disease at this stage, after all, is more appropriate.
- Early stage- Knotted veins, spider veins, visible through the skin, are also added to the above symptoms. There can often be a burning sensation in the feet and calves.
- Second stage- the number of veins and asterisks increases sharply, becoming more and more obvious. The pain became unbearable, and the leg was full of fluid.
- The third stage- here the skin of the feet is directly affected. It becomes cracked, lifeless and dry. In addition, there can be changes in the pigmentation and texture of the skin on the legs. Venous nodes begin to take on a convex shape.
What happens to varicose veins?
One of the first symptoms of varicose veins is often swollen legs, swelling and heaviness in the calves when sitting for a long time.
In addition, equally characteristic of varicose veins is the reduction or disappearance of these symptoms after a night of rest or walking.
If you do not start treatment in time, the following symptoms will appear - sharp pain in the calves, cramps in the calf muscles, a feeling of heat in the legs.
Also in the legs you can see red-blue "stars" of blood vessels, dilated hemispheric veins, and you can see dark blue veins in the skin.
With advanced varicose veins, thrombophlebitis (inflammation of dilated veins with the formation of blood clots in them), eczema in the affected areas or trophic ulcers may develop. .
To eliminate the risk of manifestation of varicose veins, it is necessary to eliminate the main causes of its appearance and external factors: smoking, alcohol, unhealthy diet.
Varicose veins of the lower extremities develop from a lack of fiber-rich foods in the diet. It is an intestinal cleanser that helps remove waste, pus, toxins, and radionuclides from the body.
Varicose veins
There are the following types (forms) of varicose veins of the lower extremities:
- Localized venous injury with defective drainage through the communicating or pathological veins.
- Localized lesion of intradermal or subcutaneous vessels without reflux.
- Extensive venous involvement with faulty deep vein blood flow.
- Extensive damage of the veins with impaired blood flow through the communicating veins.
In addition, isolated separately, a reticular pattern of varicose veins. It is a common type of varicose veins, with it being the dilation of thin veins in the skin.
Diagnose
When observing the initial symptoms, you should immediately contact a doctor who specializes in the treatment of diseases of the veins - a phlebologist.
Success in treating varicose veins depends largely on when you start treatment. Naturally, the sooner you see your doctor, the lower your risk of complications.
After the first visit, the doctor will order an instrument examination, usually a Doppler ultrasound.
What happens is radionuclide and radionuclide methods are used, if the need arises.
With these methods, special substances are injected into the bloodstream, and then their distribution through the blood vessels is studied.
How to treat varicose veins?
Varicose veins can be treated by 3 methods:
- Therapy therapy.
- Perform varicose vein surgery.
- Medication (conservative treatment).
In addition to the above methods, the complex uses medical knitted clothing and physiotherapeutic exercises.
Below we will look in more detail at each of the 3 methods.
Therapeutic therapy
Scleteropia is a painless, non-surgical and most importantly high quality and effective treatment for varicose veins. This is a relatively young treatment for varicose veins compared to other ways.
One of the main advantages of sclerotherapy is that the treatment does not require hospitalization, i. e. it is done on an outpatient basis, and it does not affect the patient's normal rhythm of life in any way. any.
The essence of this method lies in the fact that a special sclerosing drug is carefully injected into the "diseased" vein, causing a kind of "gluing" of the veins.
After the end of the procedure, a bandage is applied, which must be worn for a week. During this time, the vein becomes overgrown, then it disappears and blood flow is restored.
Unfortunately, not all types of varicose veins can be treated with this method. If the patient needs surgery, then sclerotherapy not only won't help in this case, but it can cause some complications, maybe even worsen.
For example, there is a serological classification of varicose veins, in which varicose veins are divided into grades, and this method can only treat grade 1 varicose veins.
Regarding the consequences that sclerotherapy leaves, it is to save small bruises in a short time and mild pigmentation of the "diseased" veins.
Performed by a professional doctor, this method guarantees a long-lasting result: the varicose veins "close" and blood flow never returns through them.
Work
Varicose veins surgery or laser surgery for varicose veins. Currently, this method is one of the main methods. One, there are several contraindications:
- During pregnancy or women who have just given birth, it is advisable to wait at least 5 weeks, because in many cases varicose veins during pregnancy will go away on their own without any intervention.
- If you are only concerned with the cosmetic side of the problem and there are no other symptoms (phlebitis, pain).
- Surgical treatment of varicose veins is indicated only if other methods do not make sense or do not bring results.
Surgical treatment of varicose veins is carried out, as a rule, on an outpatient basis, without the need for hospitalization of the patient.
There are 3 surgical methods to treat varicose veins - ligation, excision, and microvaricectomy.
- TieThis is a type of varicose vein ligation. As a rule, this method is used in combination with other methods, for example, it is taken as an adjunct to varicose vein ablation or excision.
- Stripping- a surgical method to treat varicose veins, in which diseased veins are removed using a small thin probe.
- Microflebectomy- the essence lies in the removal of the vein through a puncture, which is created in the skin.
Drug treatments
Drug therapy is an equally important component of the treatment of varicose veins. Properly selected drugs will not only help to eliminate the rather basic manifestations of venous insufficiency, but also reduce the risk of complications.
Most of these drugs help reduce swelling and pain syndrome, improve blood flow, etc. v.
These drugs help do the following things:
- Improve lymphatic drainage function.
- Increased general venous tone.
- Improves microcirculation of hematological disorders.
It should be borne in mind that the use of these drugs, like any other, should be carried out separately after a thorough examination and as directed by a doctor.
Treatment of varicose veins by folk methods
In addition to traditional herbal remedies, there are also recipes from the "folk" first-aid kit:
- Take a few cloves of garlic and mince it. Note that only garlic with white skin is used! Then, stir it with two tablespoons of butter. We apply this mixture to the "aching" veins during the night, on parchment, fix with a tight bandage and finally wrap it with a warm towel. In the morning, after showering, we put on something warm.
- Hop infusion is an equally effective folk remedy against varicose veins. Take the insect (remember to be dry) and pour 1 glass of boiling water. Let it brew for an hour and then feel free to drink it half an hour before a meal in a glass.
And remember varicose veins are not a sentence, can and should be treated, and the sooner you see a specialist, the easier and more effective the treatment will be.
Be healthy!