Varicose veins - a disease accompanied by the expansion of subcutaneous veins or veins under the skin of the human body.
With this disease, the walls of the vessels lose their elasticity, they expand when varicose nodes appear, they form blood stagnation, they are most often seen in the legs of women. They suffer more from disease. The disease can manifest itself at the age of 20, but it is more common in middle-aged women. Men also get sick, but less often.
The reasons
Sometimes the cause of varicose veins is the frequent use of alcohol. Alcohol itself causes vasodilation, but if abused, it will have negative consequences.
Young girls who like to sit for hours are also at risk of getting this disease. In this condition of the legs, blood stagnation occurs, which disrupts the natural blood supply to the whole body.
Key factors
What are the causes of varicose veins?
- Heredity. If the parents have weakened the walls of the vessels, 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 show itself, but after birth, all the symptoms of the disease appear on the face. The stress that women endure during childbirth has a strong effect on the location of blood vessels.
- Overloading the body with physical work of the muscles provides all the conditions for the development of the disease. It is often found in athletes who do physical exercises. It is necessary to be able to properly adjust the load on the human body.
- People with sedentary jobs, especially office workers, are prone to the development of varicose veins.
- It is not better to be constantly on your feet - this can also promote the disease.
- Women who frequently 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.
- Varicose veins develop more in people who are overweight. They have a constant load on the venous system.
- Abuse of sunburn, frequent saunas and alcoholic beverages lead to the same condition.
Varicose veins are easier to prevent than to treat. You just need to lead a healthy lifestyle, pay attention to good physical fitness, plus normal nutrition. In this case, the probability of avoiding varicose veins is high.
What do varicose veins look like in the legs? First signs with a picture
As a rule, various symptoms of varicose veins can already be seen at an early stage, when the disease can still be treated.
As a rule, people rarely think about fatigue, swelling or varicose veins in the legs in the evening. If the symptoms appear very sharp, then we are talking about a neglected disease.
Early manifestations of varicose veins
As a rule, it is not so easy to determine the early stage of varicose veins. This happens because varicose veins have many symptoms and few people pay attention to them. People ignore the swelling and fatigue of the legs. This is especially true for pregnant women: varicose veins are often not given much attention, and it is believed that such a complication is quite normal during pregnancy.
Indeed, excessive body weight can be considered the cause of varicose veins, but usually the kilograms disappear after the appearance of the baby, but a woman who suffers from varicose veins during pregnancy cannot get rid of this disease after childbirth. Often this is due to excess weight, which causes vascular disease.
It is easy to feel the initial symptoms of varicose veins: the legs begin to tire quickly from any physical activity, they become numb when they stay in one position for a long time. But, as a rule, rarely anyone pays attention to it, believing that pain in the legs is normal when walking a long distance. In winter, many attribute the pain to having heavily insulated shoes on their feet, while in summer, it is caused by heat. However, this is just an excuse and there is no truth.
When contacting a specialist, it is worth considering the earliest signs of varicose veins that can be noticed during the diagnosis: leg fatigue after little physical effort or pain after wearing heavy shoes, women who wear heels often experience this, the presence of pain, a burning sensation. legs in the evening, increased fatigue, deterioration of performance. If the disease is neglected, then the first sign of varicose veins is ulcers.
Diagnostics
From the beginning of the detection of a disease such as varicose veins, it is necessary to examine the veins in order to determine the pain, tension, density of the veins, the presence of affected vascular parts, swelling and inflammation in them. The specialist involved in 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 determine 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 you to get a more accurate outline of the affected areas. With the help of palpation and surface examination, a specialist can get the first information about the condition of the patient's veins. After the initial examination, the second stage of the diagnosis of varicose veins begins - an examination using ultrasound.
During the diagnosis of varicose veins, tests are an important source of information that helps to correctly diagnose the disease.
What tests are given when varicose veins are suspected?
The first analysis is a blood sample for hormones, biochemistry and hemoglobin. A general blood test is also performed, its group and Rh, the infectious group, are determined.
After that, the patient needs to pass urine for analysis to 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 check the venous system from the inside and find the foci of the disease. This procedure does not take more than half an hour, during which the patient is in a horizontal position.
Treatment
This disease is very dangerous and widespread all over the world, different treatment methods are used depending on the stage of the disease.
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 yourself. If not treated in time, patients can die.
Methods of treating the first signs of varicose veins in the legs:
- sclerotherapy;
- treatment;
- medicinal plants;
- compression underwear;
- surgical intervention.
Folk methods
They are used only in complex treatment together with medicines, you need to buy tinctures from nettle and 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 doctor's permission, it is not recommended to drink decoctions and tinctures.
Treatment with drugs
Such drugs, which have a tonic effect on the veins, are sold in pharmacies in the form of pills 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 tights, stockings, various compression underwear is prescribed for different stages of varicose veins. 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 vessels.
Taking medication does not completely cure varicose veins, but it relieves some symptoms and eases the course of the disease. Also, due to the use of various drugs, the risk of developing a disease such as thrombophlebitis decreases. This disease occurs as a result of the lack of treatment of varicose veins, it is treated only in a hospital and often requires surgical intervention.
I also often use lymphatic drainage massage for treatment, thanks to its use in the general therapy course, it improves the flow of lymph in the sick 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 when surgery is needed, but this procedure is different from surgery. A special drug is injected into the vein where the thrombus was detected.
This drug acts in such a way that the upper layer of the affected blood vessel is destroyed, then it sticks together. Then, after 1. 5 years, this vein dissolves in the human body, and other veins begin to perform their work functions.
The drug is prescribed by a phlebologist, individual treatment is applied to each patient. The course of sclerotherapy includes 3-6 procedures, after a period of 2 to 8 weeks, the doctor will be able to determine how this treatment works.
This procedure can only be performed by experienced specialists, because if the procedure is performed incorrectly, the vessel will restore blood flow through the sclerotic vessel and there will be no therapeutic effect.
In addition to the administration of drugs, 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 medicine along it.
In more complicated cases, when massage, compression underwear, drugs do not help, and when the disease progresses to a more acute stage, surgery is prescribed for such patients.
Results of varicose veins
The outcome of the disease does not promise anything good, it is a cosmetic problem and is associated with other health problems caused by varicose veins. Women who want their legs to look beautiful and slim suffer the most. This is impossible with the onset of the disease, but the cosmetic problem is not the main one. Varicose veins cause more serious health problems.
Often there is pain in the legs, which is accompanied by unpleasant itching. Aching pain is caused by an insufficient amount of oxygen and other trace elements that cannot reach the affected area. The cause of the pain is the defeat of large vessels. But small ships also give unpleasant sensations.
Of course, the cosmetic problem for women is also important, but the more unpleasant consequences are swelling of the ankles. The pain is in the upper and lower legs. Even with good rest, a person will feel constant pain.
Dermatitis - the result of varicose veins
The most severe result is dermatitis. The disease develops in places of expansion of blood vessels. With such a disease, a person suffers from constant itching, sores and various rashes. The appearance of dermatitis can cause thrombophlebitis. When a blood clot appears, you should urgently seek the help of a specialist. If this is not done, the consequences for a person can be very serious. Therefore, it cannot be delayed in any case.