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 a blood stasis, they are more visible on the legs of women. They are more likely to suffer from the disease. The disease can occur at the age of 20, but more in middle-aged women. Men also get sick, but much less often.
The reasons
Sometimes the cause of varicose veins is the frequent use of alcoholic beverages. Alcohol itself causes vasodilation, but if abused, it will lead to negative consequences.
Girls who like to sit cross-legged for hours are also at risk of developing the disease. In this position of the legs there is a stagnation of blood, which leads to interruptions of the natural blood supply to the whole body.
Main factors
What are the causes of varicose veins?
- Inheritance. If the parents had weakened venous walls, this could recur in children.
- The cause of the disease could 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 pregnancy. 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 experience during childbirth has a strong effect on the position of the veins.
- Overloading the body with the physical work of the muscles provides all conditions for the development of the disease. It is often found in athletes involved in exercise. It is necessary to be able to correctly regulate the load on the human body.
- People with sedentary jobs, especially office workers, are prone 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.
- The abuse of sunburn, frequent saunas and the consumption of 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 shape and normal nutrition. In this case, there is a high probability of avoiding varicose veins.
How do varicose veins appear on the legs? The first signs with a photo
As a rule, various symptoms of varicose veins can appear at an early stage, by which time the disease is still treatable.
As a rule, people rarely think of leg fatigue in the evening, swelling or varicose veins. If the symptoms appear too sharply, then we are talking about a neglected disease.
First manifestations of varicose veins
As a rule, identifying the initial stage of varicose veins is not so easy. This happens because varicose veins have a huge number of symptoms and few people pay attention to them. People ignore swelling and leg fatigue. This is especially true for pregnant women: varicose veins are often 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 the kilograms disappear after the appearance of the baby, but it also happens that a woman who suffered from varicose veins during pregnancy cannot get rid of this disease after the childbirth. Often this is due to the fact that it is overweight that leads to vein disease.
The first symptoms of varicose veins are easy to notice: the legs begin to get tired quickly from any physical activity, they become numb if they remain in one position for a long time. But, as a rule, rarely does anyone pay attention to this, believing that pain in the legs when overcoming a long distance is normal. In winter, many attribute the 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 nothing is true.
It is worth considering the first symptoms of varicose veins that can be noticed during the diagnosis when contacting a specialist: fatigue in the legs after a little physical exertion 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 in performance. If the disease is neglected, 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 in charge of 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 should assume an upright 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 acquire a more defined contour. With the help of palpation and superficial examination, a specialist can obtain the first information about the state of the patient's vessels. After carrying out the preliminary examination, the second stage of the diagnosis of varicose veins begins - a study using ultrasound.
Testing when diagnosing varicose veins is an important source of information that helps diagnose the disease correctly.
What tests are done if varicose veins are suspected?
The first test is blood sampling for hormones, biochemistry and hemoglobin. A general blood test is also performed, its group and the Rh group, infectious, are determined.
Next, the patient has to urinate for the analysis to also determine the hemoglobin, sugar, ketone bodies and this analysis will also determine the acetone and ammonia in the patient's urine.
Ultrasound procedure
With the help of ultrasound or ultrasound examination of the veins, it is possible to 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, it is necessary to consult a phlebologist, after the examination he will make the correct diagnosis, it is impossible to cure this disease on his own. In the event that timely treatment is not taken, patients can die.
Methods of treatment 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 treatments in combination with drugs, it is necessary to take tinctures of nettle, acacia. These tinctures are drunk three times a day before meals, it is useful to make fresh foot baths with 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 alone.
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, in 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 it removes some of the symptoms and facilitates the disease process. In addition, thanks to the use of various drugs, the risk of manifestation of a disease such as thrombophlebitis is reduced. This disease appears due to the lack of treatment for varicose veins, is treated only in the 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 negative is the effect of the massage. It will only last 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 drug is injected into the vein where the thrombus is located.
This drug acts in such a way that the upper layer of the affected vein is destroyed, then it sticks. 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, individual treatment is applied to each patient. 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 has worked.
This procedure can only be performed by experienced specialists, since if the procedure is performed incorrectly, the vein will restore blood flow through the sclerotic vessel and there will be no therapeutic effect.
In addition to the introduction of drugs, when applying this procedure, microfoam is injected into the vein. For the accuracy of this procedure, an ultrasound is required, 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, drugs do not help and the disease passes to a more acute stage, such patients are prescribed surgery.
Consequences of varicose veins
The consequence of the disease does not bode well, it is an aesthetic problem and associated with other health problems that have appeared due to varicose veins. Women who want their legs to be beautiful and slim suffer the most. With the onset of the disease, this is impossible, but the aesthetic 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 an unpleasant itch. Aching pain results from insufficient amount of oxygen and other trace elements that cannot pass into the affected area. The cause of pain is the defeat of the large veins. But even small vessels 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 legs. Even with a good rest, a person will feel constant pain.
Dermatitis - a consequence of varicose veins
The most serious consequence is dermatitis. The disease develops in places of expansion of the veins. 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, it is necessary to urgently seek help from a specialist. If this is not done, the consequences for a person can be very serious. Therefore, in no case can it not be delayed.