Varicose veins - a disease accompanied by the expansion of subcutaneous vessels or veins that are deep under the skin of the human body.
With this disease, the walls of the veins lose their elasticity, when varicose nodes appear, they expand, forming blood stasis, they are most visible on the legs of women. They are more likely to suffer from the disease. The disease can manifest itself at the age of 20 years, but more in middle-aged women. Men also get sick, but much less frequently.
The reasons
Sometimes the cause of varicose veins is the frequent use of alcoholic beverages. Alcohol itself provokes vasodilation, but if abused, it will lead to adverse consequences.
Young girls who like to sit cross-legged for hours are also at risk of developing the disease. In this position of the legs, blood stagnation occurs, which leads to interruptions in the natural blood supply to the entire body.
Main Factors
What are the causes of varicose veins?
- Heredity. If the parents had weakened vein walls, then this may recur in children.
- The cause of the disease may be high blood pressure. Sometimes this is due to a violation of the hormonal system.
- For many women, pregnancy is difficult, especially at the end of childbearing. At first, the disease does not manifest itself, but after childbirth, all the signs of the disease are on the face. The stress that women endure during childbirth has a strong effect on the location of the veins.
- Overloading the body with the physical work of the muscles provides all the conditions for the development of the disease. It is often found in athletes involved in physical exercise. It is necessary to be able to properly regulate the load on the human body.
- People with a sedentary job, in particular office workers, are subject to the development of varicose veins.
- Being constantly on your feet is no better - it can also give impetus to the disease.
- Women who often use contraceptives with a large amount of hormones are at risk.
- Disease of the hip joint or previous injuries can lead to the development of the disease.
- Overweight people are more likely to develop varicose veins. They have a constant load on the venous system.
- Abuse of sunburn, frequent saunas and drinking alcoholic beverages lead to the same situation.
Varicose veins are much easier to avoid than to cure. You just need to lead a healthy lifestyle, pay attention to good physical fitness, plus normal nutrition. In this case, there is a high probability of avoiding varicose veins.
How does varicose veins appear on the legs? The first signs with a photo
As a rule, various symptoms of varicose veins can appear already at an early stage, at which time the disease is still treatable.
As a rule, people rarely think about fatigue in the legs in the evenings, swelling or varicose veins. If the symptoms appear too sharply, then we are talking about a neglected disease.
Early manifestations of varicose veins
As a rule, identifying the early stage of varicose veins is not so easy. This happens due to the fact that varicose veins have a huge number of symptoms, and few people pay attention to them. People ignore leg swelling and fatigue. This is especially true for pregnant women: often varicose veins are not given much importance and it is believed that during pregnancy such a complication is quite normal.
Indeed, too much body weight can be considered the cause of varicose veins, but usually kilograms go away after the baby appears, but it also happens that a woman who suffered from varicose veins during pregnancy cannot get rid of this disease after giving birth. Often this is due to the fact that it is overweight that leads to vein disease.
Early symptoms of varicose veins are easy to notice: the legs begin to tire quickly from any physical activity, they become numb if they are in one position for a long time. But, as a rule, rarely anyone pays attention to this, believing that pain in the legs when overcoming a long distance is normal. In winter, many attribute pain to the presence of heavy insulated shoes on their feet, while in summer the heat becomes the cause. However, this is just an excuse and there is no truth in it.
It is worth considering the earliest symptoms of varicose veins that can be noticed during diagnosis when contacting a specialist: leg fatigue after little physical exertion or pain after wearing heavy shoes, women who wear heels often experience this, the presence of pain, burning sensation inlegs in the evenings, increased fatigue, deterioration in performance. If the disease is neglected, then the first sign of varicose veins is ulcers.
Diagnostics
From the very beginning of the detection of a disease such as varicose veins, it is necessary to probe the veins to determine soreness, tension, density, the presence of sections of the vein that have been affected, swelling and inflammation inside them. The specialist who deals with this examination is called a phlebologist. What to do at the first signs of varicose veins on the legs? First of all, it is necessary to diagnose the severity of the disease.
During the procedure, the patient must take a vertical position so that the veins are filled with blood as much as possible. It is best if the diagnosis is carried out in the evening - this will allow the affected areas to acquire a more defined contour. With the help of palpation and superficial examination, a specialist can obtain the very first information regarding the condition of the patient's vessels. After the preliminary examination is carried out, the second stage of the diagnosis of varicose veins begins - a study using ultrasound.
Testing during the diagnosis of varicose veins is an important source of information that helps to diagnose the disease correctly.
What tests are given if varicose veins are suspected?
The first analysis is blood sampling for hormones, biochemistry and hemoglobin. A general blood test is also taken, its group and Rh, infectious group are determined.
After that, the patient needs to pass urine for analysis to also determine hemoglobin, sugar, ketone bodies, and this analysis will also determine acetone and ammonia in the patient's urine.
Ultrasound procedure
With the help of ultrasound or ultrasound examination of the veins, you can examine the venous system from the inside and find the foci of the disease. This procedure takes no more than half an hour, during this time the patient is in a horizontal position.
Treatment
This disease is very dangerous and widespread throughout the world, depending on the stage of the course of the disease, different methods of treatment are used.
To treat the first signs of varicose veins in the legs, you need to consult a phlebologist, after the examination, he will make the correct diagnosis, it is impossible to treat this disease on your own. In the event that timely treatment is not taken, patients may die.
Treatment methods for the first signs of varicose veins on the legs:
- sclerotherapy;
- medical treatment;
- medicinal herbs;
- compression underwear;
- surgical intervention.
Folk methods
They are used only in complex treatment in combination with drugs, you need to take tinctures from nettle, acacia. These tinctures are drunk three times a day before meals, it is useful to make cool foot baths from decoctions of burdock, nettle and birch leaves.
All proposed herbal preparations are taken only with the permission of a doctor; it is not recommended to drink decoctions and tinctures on your own.
Treatment with drugs
Such drugs, which have a tonic effect on the veins, are sold in pharmacies in the form of tablets and capsules, ointments and gels.
In order for the application of ointments to become effective, it is recommended to wear compression underwear at the same time.
Compression underwear
This range includes tights, stockings, at various stages of varicose veins, different compression underwear is prescribed. You can buy such medical tights in specialized stores.
This underwear helps to normalize the venous outflow of blood, the compression of the necessary force restores the normal functioning of the veins.
Taking medication does not completely cure varicose veins, but removes some of the symptoms and facilitates the process of the disease. Also, thanks to the use of various drugs, the risk of manifestation of a disease such as thrombophlebitis is reduced. This disease appears as a result of the lack of treatment for varicose veins, it is treated only in a hospital, and surgery is often required.
I also often use lymphatic drainage massage for treatment, thanks to its use in the general course of therapy, the patient improves the outflow of lymph in the legs, there will be less swelling, fatigue and heaviness in the legs disappear. The only downside is the effect of the massage. It will last only two months, but then the massage course can be extended.
Sclerotherapy
This type of treatment is used if surgery is needed, but this procedure is different from surgery. A special medication is injected into the vein in which the thrombus is found.
This drug acts in such a way that the top layer of the affected vein is destroyed, then it sticks together. Then, after 1. 5 years, this vein dissolves in the human body, other veins begin to perform its working functions.
The drug is prescribed by a phlebologist, for each patient an individual treatment is applied. The course of sclerotherapy includes 3-6 procedures, after some time from 2 to 8 weeks, the doctor will be able to determine how this treatment worked.
This procedure can only be carried out by experienced specialists, since if the procedure is carried out incorrectly, the vein will restore its blood flow through the sclerotic vessel, and there will be no therapeutic effect.
In addition to the introduction of medications, when applying this procedure, microfoam is injected into the vein. For the accuracy of this procedure, an ultrasound scanner is needed, thanks to which the doctor will see on the screen the movement of the needle and the process of distributing the drug along it.
In more complex cases, when massage, compression underwear, medicines do not help and the disease passes into a more acute stage, surgery is prescribed for such patients.
Consequences of varicose veins
The consequence of the disease does not bode well, it is a cosmetic problem and associated with other health problems that appeared as a result of varicose veins. Women who want their legs to look beautiful and slender suffer the most. With the onset of the disease, this is impossible, but the cosmetic problem is not the main one. Varicose veins lead to more tangible health problems.
Most often there is pain in the legs, which is accompanied by unpleasant itching. Aching pain arises from an insufficient amount of oxygen and other trace elements that cannot pass into the affected area. The cause of the pain is the defeat of large veins. But small vessels also give unpleasant sensations.
Of course, a cosmetic problem is also important for women, but more unpleasant consequences are swelling of the ankles. The pain is in the upper and lower legs. Even with a good rest, a person will feel constant pain.
Dermatitis - a consequence of varicose veins
The most severe consequence is dermatitis. The disease develops in places of vein expansion. With such a disease, a person suffers from constant itching, wound formation, and various rashes. The appearance of dermatitis can lead to thrombophlebitis. When a blood clot appears, you need to urgently seek the help of a specialist. If this is not done, then the consequences for a person can be very serious. Therefore, in no case can not be delayed.