WHAT IS VARICOSIS

Many people experience varicose veins in their lives.Unfortunately, this is a fairly common phenomenon, affecting not only the legs, as is usually believed, but also other organs.Fortunately, it is treatable.True, it is long and complex and should be started only after fully understanding the reasons for its occurrence.

WHAT CAUSES VARICOSIS, WHO SHOULD BE WORRIED?

The main symptoms of the onset of the disease:

• the appearance of spider veins, or even mesh;
• veins became visible;
• the skin on the legs is uncomfortably dry;
• cramps in the leg muscles;
• swelling of the legs and heaviness appeared at the end of the day;
• thickening or darkening;
• the veins became sensitive.

What are varicose veins?This question torments many middle-aged people and others.This term refers to swelling of the veins in the lower extremities.The veins swell, form knots, become very tortuous and create a lumpy blue surface.

This happens because the blood flow in the veins is not good enough.Blood stops moving as it should, causing pressure inside the vein to increase.When it exceeds all normal levels, excess blood begins to have a stretching effect on the walls of the veins.The edges of the vessels move closer to the upper layer of the epidermis and become visible to the naked eye.The first sign of varicose veins is the appearance of vascular networks.Vessels on the legs that are visible through the surface of the skin are diseased.

Varicose veins - what they are has been known since ancient times.Even Byzantine doctors mentioned this disease in their works.The Egyptians dealt with it using elastic bandages, and Hippocrates, Avicenna and Paracelsus tried to invent more effective ways to treat it.

It is very scary that this pathology is very common - approximately 25 percent of the world's population is susceptible to this disease.Phlebologists say that the main cause of varicose veins is the poor level of development of connective tissues in the legs.Most often, women suffer from this disease, since constant hormonal changes create good conditions for the development of the disease.

PREVENTION OF VARICOSE

Good strong veins require constant self-care.At the initial stage, varicose veins destroy the beauty of the legs and pose a slight threat to health, but as they progress, they create complications and are life-threatening.Varicose veins of other organs are most often companions of various diseases and to obtain a real effect they need to be treated together with them.Risk groups who first need to remember about the prevention of varicose veins:

1. Anyone who leads a sedentary lifestyle.
2. It costs a lot during the day, for example at work.
3. Who is overweight or obese.
4. Constantly wears high heels or too narrow shoes.
5. Has diseases (or recent surgery) in the pelvic area.
6. Wears tight clothing that interferes with blood flow.
7. Often sits with his legs crossed.
8. Pregnant women.
9. Athletes exercising with regular overloads.
10. Takes hormonal medications.

Many people do not even suspect that they are carriers of a serious illness.The advanced stage of this disease is quite difficult to treat, unlike the initial stage.Therefore, everyone, and especially those who have bad heredity, need to know what varicose veins are, their symptoms and remember that a timely visit to a phlebologist is simply necessary, just like a preventive examination at the dentist.You need to take care of your health on your own, without letting things take their course.

Varicose veins, what is it?

To understand what varicose veins are, let's look at the underlying causes of this disease.As you know, our body is penetrated by a dense network of blood vessels, some of which drive blood to the heart - veins, others, on the contrary, carry it in the opposite direction - arteries.As long as the system works smoothly and the blood vessels are clean, elastic and not subject to excessive stress, everything is fine.If regular failures begin, sooner or later they can lead to diseases, one of which is varicose veins.

It can occur in any part of the body, but is most often located in the extremities.Partly because, lifting blood up the legs, the veins withstand high loads, partly because our limbs are one of the busiest parts of our body - we are forced to lift weights, walk a lot, stand or sit, which is also bad, as it interferes with normal blood flow.

VARICOSE VEINS OF EXTREMITIES: COMPLICATIONS

The most common form of this disease, which is basically what is meant when mentioning varicose veins, is varicose veins of the legs.Its initial symptoms were listed above, but what can lead to neglect of treatment?We list the main complications of this disease:

• thrombophlebitis;
• phlebothrombosis;
• trophic ulcers;
• bleeding of varicose nodes.

What is thrombophlebitis?This is inflammation of the walls of the external veins and the appearance of blood clots on them, which not only narrow the space for blood flow, but can ultimately completely block the vessel.It accompanies varicose veins of the extremities almost from the very beginning.And a person who does not take care of his veins, as a result, and a bunch of complications, gets acute thrombophlebitis, when a blood clot not only interferes with blood circulation, but is also the center of inflammation, affecting not only the walls of the vessel, but also nearby tissues.

Phlebothrombosis– this is the name of deep vein thrombophlebitis, an equally serious and difficult to treat disease, when thrombosis interferes with blood flow, and the vessels and tissues around them become inflamed.What is thrombosis?This is the appearance of blood clots in the vessels, interfering with blood flow, or even completely blocking the lumen of the blood vessels.Even a partial reduction in the supply of fresh blood slows down tissue metabolism and leads to the accumulation of its products, and complete blockage can ultimately lead to cell death, that is, tissue necrosis.

The particular danger of these diseases is that it can ultimately lead to thromboembolism - a blood clot, having come off, will migrate with the bloodstream throughout the body, blocking one of the large arteries, which in turn can be fatal.

Another serious problem, varicose veins of the last stages, are trophic ulcers - open, long-term non-healing wounds.How long?If within a month and a half the wound does not seem to heal, this is a trophic ulcer.She is being treated, but it is a long and complex treatment, when you have to combine surgical and therapeutic methods.

No less dangerous is a complication such as bleeding of varicose nodes.It can be caused either simply by thinning of the blood vessels in places of thickening, or by mechanical stress.Because it costs nothing to damage a vessel that has become thin and has lost its elasticity.Do not think that this only applies to the external veins; those located deep are just as “delicate” and susceptible to any stress, shock, or displacement.

Consequences of not treating varicose veins in the photo:

Varicose veins in the video make an even more depressing impression.To prevent this from happening, you need to consult a doctor as early as possible and strictly follow all his instructions, both in treatment and in lifestyle.

TYPES OF VARICOSE

As mentioned above, there are other types of varicose veins.There are many of them; these diseases arise for various reasons, and while some are quite widespread, others are a very rare phenomenon, usually associated with other diseases.

1. Reticular varicose veins are a network of blue stars on the thighs and calves.It occurs even in young and thin people, and is often considered only a cosmetic defect, although this is the first bell - you need to see a phlebologist.
2. Stars and vascular networks on the face are a reason to see an endocrinologist, as this often indicates that a person has problems in the endocrine system.Although the reason may also be in lifestyle - alcohol abuse, fatty and unhealthy foods, tanning, the habit of squeezing acne.
3. Varicose veins of the hands - most often this problem occurs among athletes and those whose work requires constant heavy load on the hands.
4. Varicocele is a varicose vein that surrounds the testicles.It is a very common pathology, and therefore men, especially teenagers, need to consult a doctor at the first symptoms, because untreated often leads to infertility.
5. Hemorrhoids are varicose veins of the rectum.It can be caused not only by a sedentary lifestyle, but also by heavy lifting, pregnancy, constipation and a host of other reasons.
6. Varicose veins of the legs have several stages and if treatment is not taken at the initial stage, it can lead to serious vascular pathologies and disability.
7. Varicose veins of internal organs usually occur as a complication of other diseases or in the postoperative period.This could be varicose veins of the pelvic organs, stomach, esophagus, etc.

This is a short list of the main types of this serious disease.You can learn about how to treat varicose veins of each type from detailed articles published on our website.We try to regularly talk about both traditional and the most modern methods of treating it.

CHRONIC VENOUS INSUFFICIENCY

The source of this problem is bipedalism, which means we are the only species on Earth that is susceptible to it.We will not consider pseudo-scientific hypotheses explaining why this happened, although some of them are quite funny.One, for example, assumes that humanity arrived on earth from Mars, where the force of gravity is much less, and therefore our body is not adapted to earthly loads, the other, that humans were created by aliens and were underdeveloped somewhere.Be that as it may, upright walking requires the blood vessels to raise blood to a significant height, which means it subjects them to serious stress.

Usually this system works harmoniously, the blood quickly and evenly supplies all parts of the body with oxygen and necessary substances.But if some kind of failure occurs (injury, for example) or the body is constantly affected by some unfavorable factors (hard work, heavy weight, hormonal deficiency, etc.), CVI develops - chronic venous insufficiency.In recent decades, this disease has become noticeably younger and now occurs not only in the older generation, but also in adolescents, and therefore everyone should know its symptoms:

• telangiectasia - dilation of small superficial vessels;
• swelling of the legs, worsening in the evening;
• cramps, goosebumps and other painful sensations in the calf muscles;
• cold feet;
• pigmentation of the skin of the legs;
• general discomfort and fatigue throughout the day.

As you can see, they largely coincide with the symptoms of varicose veins that were listed at the beginning of the article, because this is the beginning of the same disease - varicose veins.Therefore, if you have at least some of these signs, you need to immediately contact a phlebologist who will prescribe treatment and help you decide on your diet and lifestyle.Varicose veins are not a disease that can be cured with pills, it is actually a way of life that must be followed constantly so as not to encounter more serious stages of its development.

Modern science offers a lot of treatment methods that to some extent compensate for CVI, removing both its external manifestations and generally positively influencing the condition of blood vessels.For example, read about spider veins on the legs, their causes and treatment.Medicine now offers a set of measures to combat this “cosmetic” defect, including:

• conservative therapy - ointments and tablets to strengthen the walls of blood vessels and stimulate blood flow;
• compression therapy – special medical underwear;
• invasive therapy – microthermocoagulation, microsclerotherapy.

Also effective methods that help get rid of telangiectasia and its causes include therapeutic exercises and lymphatic drainage massage.

Treatment of varicose veins with complications is much more difficult, but here, too, an integrated approach does its job.What do you mean?This is what modern medicine offers:

1. Therapeutic methods - medications, special underwear, massage, physiotherapy.
2. Surgical methods (phlebectomy, miniphlebectomy, short stripping, endoscopic vein dissection, etc.).This is the most radical method of treating varicose veins, requiring not only preparation for the operation, its professional implementation, but also qualified postoperative observation.

Drug treatment of varicose veins involves the use of medications both for oral administration - such as drops, tablets and capsules, and for application to the skin - these are various ointments that are used to rub sore legs.Some drugs narrow and strengthen blood vessels, others relieve inflammation, and others reduce blood clotting, so they can only be used after a doctor’s prescription.External agents, that is, various creams, ointments and jellies, usually have analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic properties.Often they are supplemented with components that affect blood clotting.These drugs act mainly on superficial vessels, but have fewer contraindications.

Having discovered chronic venous insufficiency, if possible, it is necessary to exclude the causes of venous disease.That is, change a job that requires you to stand on your feet all day or lift weights, lose weight, give up spicy food, etc.It is clear that, for example, you cannot remove a hereditary predisposition, but knowing about it, you can choose an appropriate profession and monitor the condition of your veins, including visiting a phlebologist once a year for prevention.Despite all the advances in medicine, our health is still in our hands.