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 commonly 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 WORRY?

The main symptoms of the onset of the disease:

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

What are varicose veins?This question haunts 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.The blood stops moving as it should, causing pressure within the vein to increase.When it exceeds all normal levels, the excess blood begins to have a stretching effect on the walls of the veins.The edges of the vessels approach 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.The vessels on the legs visible through the surface of the skin are diseased.

Varicose veins: what they are has been known since ancient times.Byzantine doctors also mentioned this disease in their works.The Egyptians treated 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: about 25% 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, as constant hormonal changes create good conditions for the development of the disease.

PREVENTION OF VARICOSE

Good, strong veins require constant care.In the initial stage, varicose veins destroy the beauty of the legs and pose a slight health hazard, but as they progress, they create complications and are life-threatening.Varicose veins of other organs are often companions of various diseases and to achieve a real effect they must 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. Anyone who is overweight or obese.
4. Constantly wear high heels or shoes that are too tight.
5. Has disease (or recent surgery) in the pelvic area.
6. Wear tight clothes that interfere with blood flow.
7. He often sits with his legs crossed.
8. Pregnant women.
9. Athletes who train with regular overloads.
10. He takes hormonal drugs.

Many people do not even suspect that they are carriers of a serious disease.The advanced stage of this disease is quite difficult to treat, unlike the early 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 the phlebologist is simply necessary, just like a preventive examination at the dentist.You have to take care of your health yourself, 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 conduct blood to the heart - veins, others, on the contrary, transport it in the opposite direction - arteries.As long as the system is functioning 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 anywhere on the body, but is most often localized to the extremities.Partly because, raising blood along the legs, the veins withstand high loads, partly because our limbs are one of the most active parts of our body: we are forced to lift weights, walk a lot, stand or sit, which is also bad, since it interferes with normal blood flow.

VARICOSE VEINS OF THE EXTREMITIES: COMPLICATIONS

The most common form of this disease, which is basically what we mean when we talk about varicose veins, are varicose veins of the legs.Its initial symptoms have been listed above, but what can lead to neglecting treatment?We list the main complications of this disease:

• thrombophlebitis;
• phlebothrombosis;
• trophic ulcers;
• bleeding from varicose lymph nodes.

What is thrombophlebitis?This is the 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 ultimately can completely block the vessel.It accompanies varicose veins of the extremities almost from the beginning.And a person who does not take care of his veins, as a result, and a number of complications, gets acute thrombophlebitis, when a blood clot not only interferes with blood circulation, but is also the focus of inflammation, affecting not only the walls of the vessel, but also nearby tissues.

Phlebothrombosis– this is the name of deep venous thrombophlebitis, an equally serious and difficult to treat disease, when thrombosis interferes with blood flow and the surrounding vessels and tissues become inflamed.What is thrombosis?This is the appearance of blood clots in the vessels, which interfere with blood flow or even completely block 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, while complete blockage can ultimately lead to cell death, that is, tissue necrosis.

The particular danger of these diseases is that they can eventually lead to thromboembolism: a blood clot, once detached, will migrate with the blood flow throughout the body, blocking one of the large arteries, which in turn can be fatal.

Another serious problem, varicose veins of the last stage, are trophic ulcers - open wounds, which do not heal in the long term.For how long?If the wound does not seem to heal within a month and a half, it is a trophic ulcer.He is being treated, but it is a long and complex treatment, in which surgical and therapeutic methods must be combined.

No less dangerous is such a complication as bleeding from varicose nodes.It can be caused simply by thinning of blood vessels at points of thickening or by mechanical stress.Because it costs nothing to damage a vase that has thinned and lost elasticity.Don't think that this only applies to external veins;those located deeper are equally “delicate” and susceptible to any stress, shock or displacement.

Consequences of failure to treat varicose veins in the photo:

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

TYPES OF VARICOSES

As mentioned above, there are other types of varicose veins.There are many;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 also occurs in young and thin people and is often considered only a cosmetic defect, although this is the first alarm bell: it is necessary to consult a phlebologist.
2. Stars and vascular networks on the face are a reason to consult 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, habit of squeezing acne.
3. Varicose veins of the hands - most often this problem occurs among athletes and those whose work requires a heavy and constant load on the hands.
4. Varicocele is a varicose vein surrounding the testicles.It is a very common pathology, and therefore men, especially adolescents, need to consult a doctor at the first symptoms, because if left untreated it often leads to sterility.
5. Hemorrhoids are varicose veins of the rectum.It can be caused not only by a sedentary lifestyle, but also by heavy loads, pregnancy, constipation and a number of other reasons.
6. Varicose veins of the legs have different stages and if treatment is not carried out in 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.These 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 how to treat varicose veins of all types from detailed articles posted on our website.We try to talk regularly about both traditional and more 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 the pseudoscientific hypotheses explaining why this happened, although some of them are quite funny.One, for example, assumes that humanity came to earth from Mars, where the force of gravity is much lower, and therefore our body is not adapted to earthly loads, the other, that humans were created by aliens and are underdeveloped somewhere.Be that as it may, walking upright requires blood vessels to raise blood to a significant height, which means it puts them under serious stress.

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

• telangiectasia: dilation of small superficial vessels;
• swelling in the legs, which worsens 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 tiredness during the day.

As you can see, they largely coincide with the symptoms of varicose veins 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 should 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 treated with pills, but rather a lifestyle that must be followed constantly to avoid experiencing more serious stages of its development.

Modern science offers many treatment methods that to some extent compensate for CVI, eliminating 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 today offers a series of measures to combat this "cosmetic" defect, including:

• conservative therapy - ointments and compresses 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 even in this case 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 venous dissection, etc.).This is the most radical method of treating varicose veins, which requires not only preparation for the operation, its professional implementation, but also qualified postoperative observation.

Pharmacological treatment of varicose veins involves the use of drugs 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 aching legs.Some drugs narrow and strengthen blood vessels, others relieve inflammation, and still others reduce blood clotting, so they can only be used on prescription.External agents, i.e. various creams, ointments and jellies, usually have analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic properties.They are often 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 standing all day or lifting weights, lose weight, give up spicy food, etc.It is clear that, for example, you cannot remove a hereditary predisposition, but knowing this 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 medical advances, our health is still in our hands.