Varicose veins or in ordinary people varicose veins are irreversible and permanent lengthening and dilation of the veins, mainly of the lower extremities, as well as the formation of certain "nodules" as a result of pathology of the venous walls or due to a genetic defect (insufficiency of their valves).
Today, varicose veins are a very common disease. It affects one in ten men and one in three women. The more a person leads a sedentary, inactive lifestyle, the more susceptible he is to this disease.
USA, France, Great Britain - are the leading countries in the spread of varicose veins (on average over 30% of the population).
Causes of varicose veins
This utility is manifested by an increase in venous pressure. It is generally accepted that varicose veins are exclusively from the lower end, but there are varicose veins of the esophagus, stomach, testicular veins or varicose veins of the pelvis.
By the way, the latter is one of the causes of a fairly common disease such as hemorrhoids.
The main reasons for the development of varicose veins include:
- Gender: Often in women, varicose veins are provoked by taking various hormonal drugs or pregnancy.
- Heredity
- Increased venous pressure, including due to weight problems, sedentary lifestyle.
The above causes contribute both to the dilation of the veins and to the disruption of the normal functioning of the venous valves.
Stages of the disease
The following stages of varicose veins are distinguished:
- Initially- characterized by leg pain, swelling and heaviness. Prevention of the disease at this stage, after all, is more appropriate.
- First stage- nodular veins, spider veins that can be seen through the skin, are also added to the above symptoms. A burning sensation in the legs and calves is often possible.
- Second stage- the number of varicose veins and asterisks increases sharply, becoming more visible. The pain becomes unbearable, the legs are severely drained.
- Third stage- 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 of 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, swelling and heaviness in the calves during prolonged sitting.
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 - tearing pain in the calves, spasms in the muscles of the calves, a feeling of warmth in the legs.
Also on the legs you can see red-blue vascular "stars", subcutaneous 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 risks of varicose veins, it is necessary to get rid of the main causes of its appearance and external factors: smoking, alcohol, unhealthy diet.
Varicose veins of the lower extremities develop due to the lack of high-fiber foods 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 at 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 deep venous blood flow.
- Widespread lesion of veins with defective blood flow through the communication veins.
In addition, separately isolated, such a form as the reticular form of varicose veins. This is a type of common varicose vein, it has dilation of thin intradermal veins
Diagnosis
When you observe the initial symptoms, you should immediately contact a specialist dealing with venous diseases - a phlebologist.
Success in treating varicose veins in the legs depends largely on when you start treatment. Of course, the earlier you see a doctor, the lower the risk of complications.
After the first examination, the doctor will order an instrumental examination, usually a Doppler ultrasound.
It is possible, if necessary, to use radiocontrast and radionuclide methods.
With these methods, special substances are injected into the blood and then their distribution through the blood vessels is examined.
How to treat varicose veins
Varicose veins can be treated with 3 methods:
- Sclerotherapy.
- Performing surgery on varicose veins.
- Medicines (conservative treatment).
In addition to the above methods, the complex uses medical knitwear and physiotherapy exercises.
Below we will look at each of the three methods in more detail.
Sclerotherapy
Sclerotherapy is a painless, non-surgical and most importantly high quality and effective method of treating varicose veins. This is a relatively 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 it does not in any way affect the patient's normal rhythm of 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, then disappears and blood circulation 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 a number of complications and possibly even worsening.
For example, there is a classification of varicose veins according to the cap, where varicose veins are divided into degrees and this method can only treat varicose veins of 1st degree.
As for the consequences of sclerotherapy, it is the preservation of small bruises for a short period and slight pigmentation of the "sick" 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, as in many cases varicose veins that occur during pregnancy disappear on their own, without any intervention.
- If you are interested exclusively in 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 only indicated if others do not make sense or will not work.
The treatment of varicose veins with a surgical method is performed, as a rule, on an outpatient basis, without hospitalization of the patient.
There are 3 methods for surgical treatment of varicose veins - ligation, stripping and microphlebectomy.
- Ligation- This is a type of ligation of varicose veins. As a rule, this method is used in combination with others, for example, it serves as an adjunct to stripping or phlebectomy.
- Undressing- a surgical method for the treatment of varicose veins, in which the "sick" vein is removed with the help of a thin small probe.
- Microphlebectomy- The essence lies in the removal of varicose veins through a puncture, which is made in the skin.
Drug method of treatment
Drug therapy is an equally important component in the treatment of varicose veins. Competently selected drugs will help not only to eliminate the very basic manifestations of varicose veins, but also to reduce the risk of complications.
Most of these drugs help relieve the syndromes of swelling and pain, improve blood flow, etc.
These medicines help in the following:
- Improve lymphatic drainage function.
- Increase the overall venous tone.
- Improving the microcirculation of hemorheological disorders.
It should be noted that the use of these drugs, like all others, should be carried out only after a thorough examination and according to the doctor's prescription.
Treatment with folk remedies for varicose veins
In addition to traditional medicine, there are recipes from the "folk" first aid kit:
- Take a few cloves of garlic and chop them finely. Note that only garlic with white flakes is used! Then mix it with two tablespoons of butter. The resulting slurry is applied on the "inflamed" veins for the night, on parchment paper, fastened with a thick bandage and finally wrapped in a warm scarf. In the morning, after a shower, dress in something warm.
- Hop infusion is just as effective a folk remedy for varicose veins. Take hop cones (be sure to dry) and pour 1 cup boiling water. Allow to boil for an hour and then do not hesitate to take the infusion half an hour before meals in a glass.
And remember that varicose veins are not a verdict, it is still possible and necessary to treat yourself and the sooner you see a specialist, the easier and more effective the treatment itself will be.
Be healthy!