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 veins appear, they expand, forming blood stasis, they are more visible on the legs of women. They are more likely to suffer from the disease. The disease can appear at the age of 20, but more in middle-aged women. Men also get sick, but much less often.
reason
Sometimes the cause of varicose veins is the frequent use of alcoholic beverages. Alcohol itself provokes vasodilation, but if abused, it will lead to negative consequences.
Young girls who like to sit cross-legged for hours are also at risk of being affected by this disease. In this position of the legs, blood stagnates, which leads to disruption of the natural blood supply throughout the body.
Main Factors
What are the causes of varicose veins?
- Inheritance. If parents had weakened vein walls, then this can be repeated in children.
- The cause of the disease can 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 childbirth. At first, the disease does not appear, but after birth, 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 physical muscle work 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 adjust the load on the human body.
- People with sedentary jobs, especially office workers, are subject to developing 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 sunburns, 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 food. In this case, there is a high probability of avoiding varicose veins.
How do varicose veins appear in the legs? 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 tired legs in the evening, swelling or varicose veins. If the symptoms appear very 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 is due to the fact that varicose veins have a large number of symptoms, and few people pay attention to them. People ignore the swelling and fatigue of the feet. This is especially true for pregnant women: varicose veins are often not given much attention and it is believed that during pregnancy such a complication is quite normal.
Indeed, excess body weight can be considered the cause of varicose veins, but usually the pounds 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 obesity that leads to vein disease.
The early symptoms of varicose veins are easy to notice: the legs begin to tire quickly from any physical activity, 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 leg when overcoming a long distance is normal. In winter, many attribute the pain to the presence of heavy insulated shoes on the feet, while in summer the cause becomes heat. 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 observed during the diagnosis when contacting a specialist: leg fatigue after a small physical strain or pain after wearing heavy shoes, women who wear heels often experience this, the presence of pain, burning sensation in the legs in the evening, increased fatigue, deterioration of performance. If the disease is neglected, then the first sign of varicose veins is an ulcer.
Diagnosing
From the beginning of the detection of a disease such as varicose veins, it is necessary to investigate the veins to determine pain, tension, density, the presence of parts of the vein that are affected, swelling and inflammation within them. The specialist who deals with this examination is called a phlebologist. What to do at the first signs of varicose veins in the legs? First of all, it is necessary to diagnose the severity of the disease.
During the procedure, the patient should take a vertical position so that the veins are filled with blood as much as possible. It is better if the diagnosis is carried out in the evening - this will allow the affected areas to take on a more defined contour. With the help of palpation and surface examination, a specialist can get the first information about the condition of the patient's blood vessels. After conducting the preliminary examination, 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 in the correct diagnosis of the disease.
What tests are done if varicose veins are suspected?
The first analysis is taking blood samples for hormones, biochemistry and hemoglobin. A general blood test is also taken, its group and Rh, infectious group are determined.
After that, the patient should pass urine for analysis to also determine hemoglobin, sugar, ketone bodies, and this test 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 which time the patient is in a horizontal position.
Treatment
This disease is very dangerous and widespread all over the world, depending on the stage of the disease, different treatment methods are used.
To treat the first signs of varicose veins in the legs, you should consult a phlebologist, after the examination, he will make the correct diagnosis, it is impossible to treat this disease yourself. If treatment is not received in time, patients may die.
Treatment methods for the first signs of varicose veins in the legs:
- sclerotherapy;
- medical treatment;
- medicinal herbs;
- compression underwear;
- Surgical intervention.
Folk methods
They are used only in complex treatment in combination with medicines, you need to take nettle, acacia tinctures. These tinctures are drunk three times a day before meals, it is useful to make cold foot baths from decoctions of burdock, nettle and birch leaves.
All proposed herbal preparations are taken only with the permission of the doctor; it is not recommended to drink decoctions and tinctures on their own.
Drug treatment
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 be effective, it is recommended to wear compression underwear at the same time.
Compression underwear
This range includes sweaters, socks, different stages of varicose veins, various compression underwear are described. You can buy such medical sweaters in specialized stores.
These underwear help to normalize the venous blood flow, compression of the necessary force restores the normal functioning of the veins.
Taking medication does not completely cure varicose veins, but it removes some of the symptoms and eases the disease process. Also, thanks to the use of various drugs, the risk of developing a disease such as thrombophlebitis is reduced. This disease appears as a result of the lack of treatment of varicose veins, is treated only in the hospital and often requires surgical intervention.
I also often use lymphatic drainage massage for treatment, thanks to its use in the general course of therapy, the patient improves the flow of lymph in the legs, there will be less swelling, fatigue and heaviness in the legs will disappear. The only negative is the massage effect. 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 medicine is injected into the vein in which the thrombus is located.
This medication works by breaking down the top layer of the affected vein, then sticking it back together. Then, after 1. 5 years, this vein is distributed in the human body, other veins begin to perform their work functions.
The drug is prescribed by a phlebologist, an individual treatment is applied to each patient. The course of sclerotherapy includes 3-6 procedures, after a time of 2 to 8 weeks, the doctor will be able to determine how this treatment worked.
This procedure can only be performed by experienced specialists, since if the procedure is performed incorrectly, the vein will restore its blood flow through the sclerotic vessel and will not have a therapeutic effect.
In addition to the introduction of medications, during the application of 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 medicine along it.
In the most complex cases, when massage, compression underwear, medicines do not help and the disease goes to a more acute stage, surgery is prescribed for such patients.
Consequences of varicose veins
The consequence of the disease is not good, 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 thin suffer more. With the onset of the disease, this is impossible, but the cosmetic problem is not the main one. Varicose veins lead to more serious health problems.
Most often there is pain in the legs, which is accompanied by unpleasant itching. Painful pain arises from an insufficient amount of oxygen and other trace elements that cannot pass to the affected area. The cause of the pain is the loss of large veins. But small dishes also give unpleasant sensations.
Of course, a cosmetic problem is also important for women, but the most unpleasant consequences are swelling of the ankles. The pain is in the upper and lower part of the legs. Even with a good rest, a person will feel constant pain.
Dermatitis - consequence of varicose veins
The most serious consequence is dermatitis. The disease develops in places of expansion of veins. With such a disease, a person suffers from constant itching, formation of wounds and various rashes. The appearance of dermatitis can lead to thrombophlebitis. When a blood clot appears, you should 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 it be delayed.