Varicose veins - a disease accompanied by the expansion of subcutaneous vessels or deep veins 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 more noticeable on the legs of women. They are more likely to suffer from the disease. The disease can manifest itself at the age of 20, but more so 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 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 whole body.
Main factors
What causes varicose veins?
- Heredity. If the parents had weakened vein walls, it can happen again 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 pregnancy. At first, the disease does not manifest itself, but after childbirth all signs of the disease are on the face. The stress that women experience during childbirth has a significant effect on the location of 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 sedentary jobs, especially office workers, are prone to developing varicose veins.
- Constantly standing is not better - it can also give impetus to illness.
- Women who often use contraceptives containing 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 a normal diet. 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 already at an early stage, at which time the disease is still treatable.
As a rule, people rarely think about leg fatigue in the evening, swelling or varicose veins. If the symptoms appear too abruptly, then we speak of 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 leg swelling and fatigue. This is especially true for pregnant women: often varicose veins do not matter much, 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 disappear after the appearance of the baby, but it also happens that a woman who suffered from varicose veins during pregnancy cannot get rid ofthis disease after childbirth. Often this is due to the fact that it is overweight that leads to venous disease.
The first symptoms of varicose veins are easy to notice: the legs begin to get tired quickly from any physical activity, they go numb if they stay in one position for a long time. But, as a rule, someone rarely pays attention to this, believing that pain in the legs when overcoming a long distance is normal. In the winter, many attribute the pain to heavy insulated shoes on the feet, while in the summer, the heat becomes the cause. However, this is just an excuse and there is nothing real in it.
It is worth considering the first symptoms of varicose veins that can be noticed during the diagnosis when contacting a specialist: leg fatigue after little physical exertion or pain after wearing heavy shoes, women who wearheels often suffer from 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 an ulcer.
Diagnostic
From the very beginning of the detection of a disease such as varicose veins, it is necessary to probe the veins to determine pain, tension, density, the presence of sections of the vein that have been affected, swelling andinflammation inside them. The specialist who takes care 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 take 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 get the very first information about the condition of the patient's vessels. After the preliminary examination is carried out, the second stage of the diagnosis of varicose veins begins - an ultrasound study.
Tests during the diagnosis of varicose veins are an important source of information that helps to correctly diagnose the disease.
What tests are given if varicose veins are suspected?
The first analysis is a blood sample for hormones, biochemistry and hemoglobin. A general blood test is also carried out, its group and Rh, infectious group are determined.
After that, the patient must urinate 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. If prompt treatment is not taken, patients can die.
Methods of treating 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 of 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 offered 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
These 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.
Compressive underwear
This range includes tights, stockings, at different 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, compression of the necessary force restores the normal functioning of the veins.
Taking medication does not completely cure varicose veins, but does suppress some of the symptoms and ease 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 as a result of the lack of treatment of varicose veins, it is treated only in the hospital, and often surgery is required.
I also often use lymphatic drainage massage for treatment, thanks to its use as part of general treatment, the patient improves the flow of lymph in the legs, there will be less swelling, fatigue and heavinessin 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 drug is injected into the vein in which the thrombus is located.
This drug acts in such a way that the upper layer of the affected vein is destroyed, and then it sticks together. Then, after 1. 5 years, this vein dissolves in the human body, other veins begin to perform their 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 a certain time of 2-8 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 there will be no therapeutic effect.
In addition to the introduction of drugs, when applying this procedure, a 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 dispensing the drug along it.
In more complex cases, when massage, compression underwear, medications do not help, and the disease passes to a more acute stage, surgical intervention 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 have arisen as a result of varicose veins. Women who want their legs to look nice 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 are pains in the legs, which are accompanied by unpleasant itching. The aching pain comes from an insufficient amount of oxygen and other trace elements that cannot pass to the affected area. The cause of pain is the defeat of large veins. But small vessels also give unpleasant sensations.
Of course, an aesthetic problem is also important for women, but the most unpleasant consequences are the swelling of the ankles. The pain is in the upper and lower legs. Even with good rest, a person will experience constant pain.
Dermatitis - a consequence of varicose veins
The most serious consequence is dermatitis. The disease develops in places of venous expansion. With such a disease, a person suffers from constant itching, the formation of sores and various rashes. The appearance of dermatitis can lead to thrombophlebitis. When a blood clot appears, you need to urgently seek specialist help. If this is not done, the consequences for a person can be very serious. Therefore, in no case can be delayed.