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.It is true that it is long and complex and should only be started after fully understanding the reasons for its occurrence.

WHAT CAUSES VARICOSIS, WHO SHOULD BE CONCERNED?

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;
• leg swelling and heaviness at the end of the day;
• thickening or darkening;
• the veins became sensitive.

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

This happens because the blood flow in the veins is not good enough.The blood stops moving as it should, causing the pressure inside the vein to increase.When it exceeds all normal levels, excess blood begins to stretch 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 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 with 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% of the world's population is susceptible to this disease.Phlebologists claim that the main cause of varicose veins is the low level of development of the connective tissues of the legs.Most often, women suffer from this disease, as constant hormonal changes create good conditions for the development of the disease.

VARICOSIS PREVENTION

Good, strong veins require constant self-care.In 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 fatal.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 that first need to remember about preventing 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 wears high heels or very narrow shoes.
5. Have diseases (or recent surgery) in the pelvic region.
6. Wear tight clothing that interferes with blood flow.
7. He often sits with his legs crossed.
8. Pregnant women.
9. Athletes exercising with regular overloads.
10. Take hormonal medications.

Many people do not even suspect that they have 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 a bad heredity, need to know what varicose veins are, their symptoms and remember that a timely visit to a phlebologist is simply necessary, as is a preventive examination at the dentist.You need 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 permeated by a dense network of blood vessels, some of which carry blood to the heart - the veins, others, on the contrary, transport it in the opposite direction - the arteries.As long as the system works well 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 located on the extremities.Partly because, by lifting blood through the legs, the veins support 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.

VARICOSES OF THE EXTREMITIES: COMPLICATIONS

The most common form of this disease, which is basically what is meant when talking about varicose veins, are varicose veins in the legs.Your initial symptoms were listed above, but what can lead to treatment abandonment?We list the main complications of this disease:

• thrombophlebitis;
• phlebothrombosis;
• trophic ulcers;
• bleeding from varicose nodules.

What is thrombophlebitis?This is the inflammation of the walls of the external veins and the appearance of blood clots in them, which not only narrow the space for blood flow, but can completely block the vessel.It accompanies varicose veins of the extremities almost from the beginning.And those who do not take care of their veins, as a result, and a lot of complications, end up with acute thrombophlebitis, when a blood clot not only interferes with blood circulation, but is also the center of inflammation, affecting not only the vessel walls, 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 it become inflamed.What is thrombosis?It 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 lead to cell death, that is, tissue necrosis.

The particular danger of these diseases is that they can lead to thromboembolism - a blood clot, when detached, 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 wounds that do not heal for a long time.How long?If within a month and a half the wound does not appear to heal, it is a trophic ulcer.She is undergoing treatment, but it is a long and complex treatment, requiring a combination of surgical and therapeutic methods.

No less dangerous is such a complication as bleeding from varicose nodules.It can be caused simply by the narrowing of blood vessels in places of thickening or by mechanical stress.Because it doesn't hurt to damage a vase that has become thin and lost its elasticity.Don't think this only applies to external veins;those located deeply are equally “delicate” and susceptible to any stress, shock or displacement.

Consequences of not treating varicose veins in the photo:

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

TYPES OF VARICOSIS

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

1. Reticular varicose veins are a network of blue stars on the thighs and calves.It occurs even in young, thin people and is often considered just a cosmetic defect, although this is the first sign - you need to consult a phlebologist.
2. Stars and vascular networks on the face are a reason to consult an endocrinologist, as they often indicate that a person has problems with the endocrine system.Although the reason may also lie in the lifestyle - alcohol abuse, fatty and unhealthy foods, tanning, the habit of squeezing acne.
3. Varicose veins on the hands - most often this problem occurs among athletes and those whose work requires constant and heavy load on the hands.
4. A varicocele is a varicose vein that surrounds the testicles.It is a very common pathology and that is why men, especially teenagers, need to consult a doctor at the first symptoms, as failure to treat it often leads to infertility.
5. Hemorrhoids are varicose veins in the rectum.It can be caused not only by a sedentary lifestyle, but also by heavy work, pregnancy, constipation and a number of other reasons.
6. Varicose veins in the legs have several stages and if treatment is not carried out at the initial stage, it can lead to serious vascular pathologies and disabilities.
7. Varicose veins of internal organs usually occur as a complication of other diseases or after surgery.These can 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 each type in detailed articles published on our website.We try to talk regularly about traditional and more modern methods of treatment.

CHRONIC VENOUS INSUFFICIENCY

The origin of this problem is bipedalism, which means we are the only species on Earth susceptible to it.We will not consider pseudoscientific 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 lower 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, walking upright requires your blood vessels to lift blood to a significant height, which means it subjects them to a great deal of stress.

Normally this system works harmoniously, the blood quickly and evenly delivers 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, 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, worse at night;
• cramps, chills 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 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, 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, in fact it is a way of life that must be followed constantly to avoid encountering more serious stages of their development.

Modern science offers many treatment methods that compensate to some extent for CVI, removing 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 eliminate 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 - medicines, special underwear, massages, physiotherapy.
2. Surgical methods (phlebectomy, miniphlebectomy, short removal, 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 for varicose veins involves the use of medications both for oral administration - such as drops, tablets and capsules, and for application to the skin - there are various ointments used to rub sore legs.Some medications 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 medications 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, changing jobs that require standing all day or lifting weights, losing weight, giving up spicy food, etc.Of course, for example, you cannot eliminate a hereditary predisposition, but knowing this, you can choose a suitable 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.