Varicose veins or in ordinary people, varicose veins are irreversible and persistent lengthening and dilation of veins, mainly of the lower extremities, as well as the formation of certain "nodules" as a result of venous wall pathology or due to a genetic defect (insufficiency of their valves).
Today, varicose veins are a very common disease. It affects every tenth man and every third woman. The more a person leads a sedentary, inactive lifestyle, the more susceptible they are to this disease.
USA, France, Great Britain - are the leading countries in the prevalence of varicose veins (on average more than 30% of the population).
Causes of varicose veins
This utility occurs with an increase in venous pressure. It is generally accepted that varicose veins are exclusively of the lower extremities, however there are varicose veins of the esophagus, stomach, testicular veins or varicose veins of the small pelvis.
By the way, the latter is one of the reasons for a fairly common disease like hemorrhoids.
The main reasons for the development of varicose veins are:
- Gender: In women, varicose veins are often caused by taking various hormonal medications or by pregnancy.
- Heredity
- Increased venous pressure, including due to weight problems, sedentary sedentary lifestyle.
The above reasons also contribute to varicose veins and disrupt the normal functioning of venous valves.
Stages of the disease
The following stages of varicose veins are distinguished:
- Initially- It is characterized by pain in the legs, swelling and heaviness. In the end, it is better to prevent the disease at this stage.
- The first phase- nodular veins, spider veins, which are seen through the skin, are also added to the above symptoms. A burning sensation in the foot and leaf area is often possible.
- Second phase- the number of varicose veins and asterisks increases sharply, becoming more visible. The pain becomes unbearable, the legs are very exhausted.
- The third phase- here the skin of the feet is directly affected. It becomes cracked, lifeless and dry. In addition, it is possible to change the pigmentation and structure of the skin on the feet. The venous nodes begin to take on a convex shape.
What happens to varicose veins?
One of the first symptoms of varicose veins is frequent swelling of the legs, bloating and heaviness in calves when sitting for a long time.
Also, no less characteristic of varicose veins is the reduction or disappearance of these symptoms after a night’s rest or walking.
If you do not start treatment on time, the following symptoms appear - cracking pain in the leaves, cramps in the muscles of the leaves, a feeling of warmth in the legs.
Also on the legs you can see red-blue vascular "stars", varicose veins dilate and you can see intradermal dark blue veins.
Advanced varicose veins can develop thrombophlebitis (inflammation of the varicose veins with the formation of blood clots in them), eczema in the affected areas or trophic ulcers.
To eliminate the risk of varicose veins, it is necessary to get rid of the main causes of its occurrence and external factors: smoking, alcohol, unhealthy diet.
Varicose veins of the lower extremities are caused by a lack of foods rich in fiber in the diet. It is a bowel cleanser that removes waste, pus, toxins and radionuclides from the body.
Forms of varicose veins
There are the following types (forms) of varicose veins of the lower end:
- Localized venous lesion with defective discharge through communicative or pathological veins.
- Localized lesion of intradermal or subcutaneous vessels without reflux.
- Widespread venous involvement with defective blood flow through deep veins.
- Widespread vein lesion with abnormal blood flow through the communication veins.
In addition, separately isolated, such a form as the reticular form of varicose veins. It is a type of common varicose veins, with which there is a dilation of thin intracutaneous veins
Diagnosis
When you notice the initial symptoms, you should immediately consult a specialist who deals with venous diseases - a phlebologist.
Success in treating varicose veins of the legs largely depends on when you started treatment. Of course, the earlier you see a doctor, the lower the risk of complications.
After the first examination, the doctor will prescribe an instrumental examination, usually a Doppler ultrasound.
It happens that, if the need arises, radiopaque and radionuclide methods are used.
With these methods, special substances are injected into the bloodstream, and then their distribution through the blood vessels is studied.
How to treat varicose veins
Varicose veins can be treated in 3 ways:
- Sclerotherapy.
- Performing surgery on varicose veins.
- Medications (conservative treatment).
In addition to the above methods, the complex uses medical knitwear and physiotherapy exercises.
Below we will consider each of the 3 methods in more detail.
Sclerotherapy
Scleteropia is painless, non-operative, and most importantly, a quality and effective method of treating varicose veins. This is a fairly young way to treat varicose veins compared to others.
One of the main advantages of sclerotherapy is that the treatment does not require hospitalization, ie it is performed on an outpatient basis and that does not in any way affect the normal rhythm of the patient's life.
The essence of the method lies in the fact that a special "sclerosing" drug is carefully injected into the "sick" vein, which causes a kind of "sticking" of the veins.
After the procedure, a bandage is applied, which must be worn for a week. During this time, the vein grows, after which it disappears and blood flow is restored.
Unfortunately, not all types of varicose veins can be treated with this method. If the patient needs surgery, then sclerotherapy will not only not help in this case, but can also cause numerous complications, and even worsening.
For example, there is a classification of varicose veins according to the browser, where varicose veins are divided into stages, and this method can only treat varicose veins of the first degree.
As for the consequences that sclerotherapy brings, it is the preservation of small bruises for a short time and light pigmentation of "diseased" veins.
Performed by a professional doctor, this method guarantees a lasting result: varicose veins "close" and blood flow never returns through them.
Operation
Surgical treatment of varicose veins or laser surgery for varicose veins. Currently, this method is one of the main ones. First, there are a number of contraindications:
- During pregnancy or women who have just given birth, it is recommended to wait at least 5 weeks, because in many cases varicose veins formed during pregnancy disappear on their own without any intervention.
- If you are concerned only with the aesthetic side of the problem and there are no other symptoms (inflammation of the veins, pain).
- A surgical method to treat varicose veins is indicated only if others do not make sense or will not yield results.
Treatment of varicose veins by surgical method is carried out, as a rule, on an outpatient basis, without hospitalization of the patient.
There are 3 methods of surgical treatment of varicose veins - ligation, removal and microphlebectomy.
- Ligation- This is a kind of ligation of varicose veins. As a rule, this method is used in combination with others, for example, it serves as an adjunct to removal or phlebectomy.
- Download- a surgical method for the treatment of varicose veins, in which a "sick" vein is removed with a thin small probe.
- Microphlebectomy- The essence is in the removal of varicose veins through a sting that is made on the skin.
Healing method of treatment
Drug therapy is an equally important component in the treatment of varicose veins. Competently selected medications will help not only to eliminate the rather basic manifestations of varicose veins, but also to reduce the risk of complications.
Most of these medications help relieve swelling and pain syndrome, improve blood flow, and so on.
These medications help in the following:
- Improves lymphatic drainage function.
- Increase general venous tone.
- Improve the microcirculation of hemorheological disorders.
It should be noted that the use of these drugs, as well as all others, should be carried out only after a thorough examination and on the recommendation of a physician.
Treatment of folk remedies for varicose veins
In addition to traditional medicine, there are also recipes from the "folk" first aid kit:
- Take a few garlic cloves and chop it finely. Note that only garlic with white skins is used! Then mix it with two tablespoons of butter. The resulting slurry is applied to the "painful" veins overnight, on parchment paper, secured with a tight bandage and finally wrapped in a warm scarf. In the morning, after showering, we dress in something warm.
- An infusion of hops is an equally effective folk remedy against varicose veins. Take the hop cones (be sure to dry them) and pour 1 cup of boiling water over them. Leave to cook for one hour, then feel free to take the infusion half an hour before meals in a glass.
And remember, varicose veins are not a sentence, it is still possible and necessary to treat, and the sooner you consult a specialist, the easier and more effective the treatment itself will be.
Be healthy!