Since veins and arteries are quite common, varicose veins are accompanied by characteristic manifestations that enable timely diagnosis of the disease and prevent its worsening. There are certain phases of varicose veins, which are accompanied by certain symptoms and can become indicators of neglect of the pathological process and the possibility of recognizing current changes.
However, phlebologists today do not have a consensus on the isolation of the stage of the disease, because the omission of manifestations and their characteristic course are not constant values: each case has its own characteristics of manifestation and course of this disease, and against the background of parallel current lesionsinterfere with a correct diagnosis.
The main parameters for determining the stage of varicose veins
The stages of varicose veins are usually formed depending on the set of certain manifestations that characterize the degree of neglect of the current pathological process, as well as their effect on the patient's body as a whole. Classification of the manifestation of this disease is the simplest method of preliminary diagnosis and determination of the treatment scheme.
In order to determine the stage of this disease, a number of specific questions should be answered, which will enable an understanding of the existing symptoms and, with their help, determine the degree of worsening of the process, which largely determines the possibilities for treatment.
These issues include:
- the presence of characteristic manifestations of varicose veins and the degree of their manifestation;
- location and severity of symptoms;
- the presence of external manifestations of changes in the condition of veins and large arteries;
- recognition of accompanying manifestations that worsen the patient's condition.
However, even without a detailed diagnosis of a phlebologist, during an external examination of the patient, it is possible to make a preliminary diagnosis that will allow drawing up a scheme of therapeutic effects and, depending on individual specific characteristics of the patient, the presence of current comorbidities and susceptibility to constant exposure. . During the diagnosis of the patient's condition, it is important to determine which types of varicose veins occur, their location and the degree of neglect of the pathological process.
Varicose veins most often affect the lower extremities, because this is the area of the human body that receives the most significant loads. At the same time, not everyone is aware of this load on the legs and does not protect them even in the presence of a series of manifestations that signal the need for a more careful attitude towards the limbs and veins. Therefore, in order to understand how the stages of varicose veins differ, it is necessary to acquire at least general ideas about the manifestations of this pathology, which is characterized by seriousness and great dangers to the health of the legs and the human body as a whole.
Specifics of varicose vein classification
The stages of varicose veins can differ in the shape and location of the current pathological process in the veins. This approach is the most suitable for understanding the degree of neglect of the disease, and it also enables the determination of the cause of the occurrence, which will sooner eliminate the current manifestations of this condition and the characteristic symptoms.
The types of varicose veins differ in several specific parameters. The use of a certain classification allows you to determine the affiliation of an existing disease to a group, which facilitates further diagnosis and choice of treatment system. The modern classification according to the position of the main nodes of varicose veins is as follows:
- Varicose veins are located in the surface layer of the skin and deep veins, while the external manifestations are characterized by segmentation - changes in the condition of the veins are recorded only in a certain area of the veins.
- Varicose veins of superficial and perforating veins, which have also been noted in certain segments of the skin.
- Changes in the condition of the veins in which varicose veins are diagnosed and pathological changes in the superficial veins in an unexpressed form, reflux.
- Varicose veins, recorded in deep veins, development of reflux.
The presence of reflux indicates the presence of a certain pathology, because with reflux, blood flows in the opposite direction. This phenomenon usually worsens the pathological process of changes in the veins, stimulating the worsening of varicose veins, followed by an increasing area of veins and arteries. All types of varicose veins can have signs of reflux, which is an already determined pathology and requires medical intervention.
Understanding the severity of the disease allows timely initiation of treatment, because even the initial phase of the process, which has a relatively small number of external manifestations, is dangerous to the health of the feet. Grade 1 varicose veins can be practically asymptomatic, but that does not mean that there is no need to treat the disease.
External examination of the affected veins with altered veins will allow the specialist to approximately determine the probable cause of this disease. However, in order to clarify the diagnosis, a whole series of diagnostic procedures should be performed that will enable determining the degree of prevalence of the autologous process, as well as correcting the desired therapeutic effect in order to obtain the most pronounced and longest-lasting positive results. Classification will help in making a diagnosis in accordance with the external manifestations of the disease, as well as in determining the system of therapeutic effects.
Classification according to the degree of deterioration
Today, the generally accepted method of classification should be considered a variant that divides the course of the disease into certain stages. Each of them has characteristic manifestations, with the beginning of the next phase there is a higher degree and strength of symptoms, a high prevalence of the affected area.
The classification of the disease that is carried out depending on the degree of neglect is as follows:
- early stage of varicose veins - in the initial stage of the pathological process there is a gradual accumulation of characteristic manifestations of the disease, which the patient does not always record. This phase is often called latent: a person can write off unpleasant sensations after a whole day spent on his feet due to elemental fatigue, the presence of some extra pounds. If, however, we add to these factors the period of expectation of the child, heredity (if there is at least one close relative with existing varicose veins, one can safely assume one's own tendency to develop this disease in itself), then one can ignore the obvious pathological changes in the veins of the lower limbs. ;
- the first phase is already characterized by such manifestations as periodic numbness of the legs (especially with prolonged retention of one position and standing position), pain in some parts of the legs, feeling of tension in the legs and veins due to deterioration Quality of blood circulation processtheir tension. Externally, the first stage of the disease is manifested by the appearance of small areas with visible veins and blood vessels, which can upset the patient when he presses on such an area;
- Grade 2 varicose veins may have the following characteristic manifestations:
- the pain becomes more pronounced, increasing by the end of the day;
- bruises and areas with altered veins and capillaries appear on the skin, which are also visible to the naked eye;
- the degree of the lesion is increased, which is detected by increasing the surface area of the lesion.
- grade 3 varicose veins are less curable. All the characteristic symptoms worsen, the pain becomes more severe, and the affected area covers most of the leg. The condition and color of the skin of the feet change: they get a darker shade, the skin itself becomes an unhealthy structure, more and more resembling dead skin. At this stage, varicose veins almost always require surgical intervention because there is a high risk of thrombus formation and separation from the vessel wall, which can clog the vessel lumen and lead to serious consequences in the form of limb risk of amputations. The third stage is the most dangerous due to the high probability of concomitant negative manifestations during treatment.
In the second stage of this pathological process, there is a strong heaviness in the legs, a feeling of cracking of the veins and skin, so-called geese can appear on the legs and in the popliteal region, which is not related to external factors. Second-degree varicose veins can still be treated; in the later stages, the process of exacerbation of the disease is accelerating and affects more and more areas of the lower extremities, while the treatment process is difficult and does not always give positive results;
There are also capillary varicose veins, in which small blood vessels receive load, the quality of blood circulation gradually deteriorates, characteristic signs appear in the form of increased limb fatigue, swelling of affected tissues and skin discoloration at the site of the lesion.
Varicose veins have stages that gradually turn into more complex ones, while the method of treatment is determined by the localization of the lesion site and the subjective manifestations of the disease. Anyone who has noticed at least one of the signs of this frightening disease should remember that the likelihood of the disease progressing in a short time to a deeper stage is a significant deterioration in the health of the lower extremities. Also, in the absence of the necessary treatment, the patient may become disabled - as medical statistics show, this lasts on average about 11 years from the moment the first characteristic manifestations of the disease appear.
Why is treatment needed?
Varicose veins of the lower extremities or VBNK, followed by a gradual deterioration of blood circulation, the appearance of deeper symptoms, require an urgent medical response. When detecting varicose veins of the lower extremities, a more detailed diagnosis of veins and blood vessels is performed, and the degree of neglect of the process is determined.
The disease of the lower extremities requires treatment due to the rapid deterioration of the current pathological process, affecting more and more areas. The probability of remaining disabled is high, especially in old age, when there is a general suppression of basic body functions and a reduction in the degree of resistance to disease. And in the presence of concomitant lesions, the treatment of varicose veins on the legs is even more difficult.
Since the disease is characterized by different types (or phases), which differ in the degree of worsening of the pathological process, treatment should be carried out in accordance with the results of the diagnosis, as well as taking into account the individual characteristics of the organism.