Varicose veins of the lower extremities is a problem that affects over 60% of the world's population. The term "varicose veins" from the Latin "varix" is interpreted as "varicose veins". Hence the definition of the pathological condition - the expansion of the lumen of the veins of the lower extremities and pelvic organs, which significantly impairs blood flow in the vessels and, accordingly, worsens the general condition of the patient. In the article below we will look at the causes of varicose veins, possible complications of the disease and the main ways to deal with the pathology.
Causes and risk factors: everyone is susceptible to this
Important:if varicose veins precede young people under the age of 25, then here the distribution of the sexes occurs 50: 50. That is, both boys and girls are equally ill. In older age, women are more likely to have varicose veins due to pregnancy and age-related significant changes in hormone levels.
If we look at varicose veins from the inside, then anatomically, the dilation of the lumen of the veins is due to a malfunction of the venous valves that regulate blood flow. Faulty valves do not close completely with each pulse. As a result, the blood coming from the heart moves to the lower extremities due to the force of gravity.
Normally, the valves should close and allow blood to flow to the legs in parts. But, unfortunately, the blood flow enters more intensely in the legs and in the opposite direction moves less intensely due to the same poor functioning of the valve system. The veins of the legs, filled with blood, lose their elasticity and stretch over time.
The main predisposing factors for the development of a pathological condition of blood vessels are:
- genetic component (the disease can be transmitted through female or male lineage in the family);
- Overweight;
- delayed pregnancy;
- passive lifestyle;
- excessive physical activity;
- smoking and drinking alcohol;
- hormonal disorders.
Men's problems
If we look at the causes of varicose veins, depending on the sex of the patient, then in men and women they are slightly different. In particular, each of the different sexes is prone to certain habits that sooner or later can provoke the pathology of the vessels of the lower extremities. So, for men the risk factors are:
- strength training with lifting weights from a squatting position;
- overweight and obesity;
- unbalanced diet that provokes frequent constipation;
- pathological processes of the kidneys (tumors of various etiologies);
- inguinal hernia;
- sedentary work;
- smoking and drinking alcohol.
Important:men are characterized not only by the development of varicose veins of the lower extremities, but also by varicose veins of the spermatic cord. This pathology is called varicocele. Such a condition is inherited, ie it is exclusively genetic in nature and is not prevented even by enhanced preventive measures. Only 2-4% of men suffer from varicocele. The cause of the pathology is the asymmetric anatomical location and structure of the male genitals.
Due to the fact that men suffer from false modesty or do not have time to visit a specialist at the very beginning of the disease, varicose veins are more difficult for them than for women.
Women's varicose veins have their own laws
In women, varicose veins are more "familiar" than in men. More than 80% of women suffer from vascular pathology of the legs. In addition, the risk group includes members of the fairer sex who prefer this lifestyle or experience the following conditions:
- wearing tight high-heeled shoes;
- sedentary or standing work;
- hereditary predisposition;
- changes in hormone levels during pregnancy or with autoimmune diseases;
- wearing too tight underwear, jeans;
- smoking;
- low percentage of fruits and vegetables in the diet (constant diets and starvation);
- love of tan (frequent visits to the solarium or stay in direct sunlight);
- sudden weight gain;
- low mobility.
Pregnancy is the place where "the dog is buried"
Even if the manifestations of varicose veins, the causes and treatment of which should be established and prescribed only by a phlebologist, are not initially observed in a woman, in 30% of cases it becomes apparent during pregnancy. Here the main trap lies in the growing fetus and with it the uterus, which intensely presses on the pelvic organs. As a result, the blood circulation in the lower part of the body is significantly impaired. The return flow of blood from the legs up is difficult. This effect on the deep veins of the legs leads to the fact that the vessels are actively stretched both in width and length.
In addition to the growth of the uterine organ and the pressure exerted on the vessels of the pelvic organs, varicose veins in pregnant women also develop under the influence of such factors:
- Increased blood clotting. In this way, nature endangers the woman against great blood loss during childbirth. Thicker blood is harder to move through the veins.
- Increased levels of the hormone progesterone, which leads to relaxation of the muscles and blood vessels of the uterus so that it can increase freely and without tone as the fetus grows. But at the same time, the walls of the other vessels also relax. The veins become less elastic and the thick blood stretches their walls even more, already weakened by progesterone.
- Raising blood pressure to better supply the fetus with oxygen. As a result, the body tries to quickly pass thick blood through the loose vessels. Its volume in the legs increases as a result.
- Low mobility of a pregnant woman with abdominal growth. This leads to blood stasis in the legs and pelvic organs.
Complications of varicose veins
If varicose veins are not treated and ignored, then over time the patient can develop very serious complications that may even require full surgery. In the worst case, the patient may undergo amputation of the diseased limb. Below we will look at the most common and dangerous complications of varicose veins.
Chronic venous insufficiency
With the development of such a complication occurs active failure of the venous valves. In addition, the pathological process is divided into four stages:
- Zero. The patient feels slight swelling and rare pain in the legs after a hard day.
- First. The venous network of the dilated vessels is visualized on the surface of the skin.
- Second. Swollen veins with blood clots and nodules in them are clearly visible. There is redness of the skin in places of inflamed veins, itching, sores.
- Third. Trophic ulcers with inflamed veins form on the legs.
Important:Signs of chronic venous insufficiency are itchy legs, soreness, burning sensation in a prolonged sitting position, swelling, night cramps.
Superficial vein thrombophlebitis
In this case, the patient develops a tendency to form blood clots. Clots actively block the lumen of the veins, making it difficult for blood to flow. In most cases, blood clots and clots are localized in the vessels of the lower third of the thigh or the upper third of the leg. The symptoms of venous thrombophlebitis are:
- redness of the skin of the feet at the sites of clot formation;
- leg pain;
- on palpation - hardening in the veins.
Important:in thrombophlebitis it is necessary to wear compression knitwear. The compression formula should be chosen by a specialist - angiosurgeon or phlebologist.
Trophic ulcer
This complication manifests itself in the later stages of venous insufficiency. First, the patient develops increased vascular permeability. A whitish seal with a varnish-like surface forms on the surface of the skin. An ulcer forms under it. At the slightest injury to the inflamed area, the ulcer opens and exudation begins. A leaking wound can become secondarily infected, leading to purulent inflammatory processes.
Important:in this condition, complete wound healing is required first, and only then is a complete surgical procedure performed to remove the affected vessels.
Pulmonary embolism
An equally dangerous complication in which a thrombus separates from the inflamed vein and travels to the pulmonary artery. This artery is directly involved in organizing blood flow in a narrow circle affecting the right ventricle of the heart. If the diameter of the separated thrombus is smaller than the lumen of the artery, then the clot moves to the branches of the pulmonary artery, provoking pulmonary edema or heart attack. In this case, the patient will feel significant chest pain. There will also be a wet cough mixed with blood, fever and weakness. If the diameter of the clot is equal to the diameter of the lumen of the pulmonary artery, then there is immediate blockage and death for the patient.
The release of a blood clot can be caused by the following conditions:
- performing surgical interventions;
- oncology;
- heart failure;
- long bed rest.
Conservative and surgical treatment
Varicose veins can be treated both conservatively and surgically, depending on the stage of the pathology and the patient's condition. In conservative treatment, the use of phlebotonic drugs is indicated. Horse chestnut gels and venotonic ointments are used externally. It should be understood that conservative treatment works only in the early stages of varicose veins.
Physical activity (walking) and wearing compression stockings are indicated as additional measures in the conservative treatment of varicose veins.
Minimally invasive and surgical methods of treatment
If the process of varicose veins and venous insufficiency has gone far, then they resort to minimally invasive or full-fledged surgery to improve the patient's condition. Minimally invasive methods of intervention include the following:
- Sclerotherapy. In this case, a special sclerosing drug is injected into the lumen of the patient's varicose vein using a thin insulin needle. The injected substance first causes inflammation and then sclerosis of the diseased vein. The lumen of the diseased vessel simply grows. The technique has a rather cosmetic effect, but does not solve the problem (cause) of the pathology itself. Recurrences after sclerotherapy are possible. Contraindications to such an intervention are pregnancy, lactation and intolerance to the components of the drug.
- Stripping. Using this method, the diseased vein is removed using the thinnest probe. The peculiarity of the surgical intervention is that it is possible to remove only the diseased part of the vessel, leaving its healthy parts. The operation is performed through two endoscopic punctures located on both sides at the site of the inflamed vessel. That is, scars and scars after such an intervention will not be visible.
- Microphlebectomy. Removal of the diseased vein is also done through several small incisions in the skin.
- Laser coagulation. Exposure of the lumen to a diseased vessel with a laser. As a result, the lumen of the vein is completely overgrown.
Complete surgery (abdominal surgery) is called a phlebectomy. With this method, the surgeon makes a complete incision in the skin of the leg to remove the entire superficial vein. The indications for such an operation are:
- large volume of varicose veins;
- large cavity (lumen) of diseased vessels (more than 10 mm);
- thrombophlebitis;
- the presence of large varicose veins;
- the formation of trophic ulcers in the patient;
- lack of effectiveness of minimally invasive surgery.
Traditional methods of treatment
In the initial stages of the pathology you can also resort to folk methods of treating varicose veins. In particular, in combination with medical treatment, you can use the following folk remedies:
- The tomato is green. Thin slices of vegetables are placed on the area of inflamed veins and fixed with a bandage. You should change such applications every 2-3 hours. The course of treatment is to clearly improve the condition.
- Potatoes. A bandage soaked in freshly squeezed potato juice is applied to the legs. Cover the top with cling film. Such applications are best done at night until the patient's condition improves.
- Apple vinegar. Preferably homemade. Vinegar is diluted in water (1 cup water and 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar). A bandage is moistened in a solution and applied to the area of the diseased veins. The bandage is fixed at night. You can also just lubricate your feet with this solution at night. It is shown to take vinegar water inside as well. Add 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and a teaspoon of honey to a glass of water so as not to burn the esophagus with vinegar (the walls of the esophagus are very susceptible to acids). Drink the mixture in the morning on an empty stomach. The course of treatment with vinegar is 30 days.
- Horse chestnut. Flowers of the plant in the amount of 50 g pour 0, 5 liters of alcohol and insist for two weeks in a dark place, periodically shaking the mixture. The finished product is filtered through a sieve and drunk three times a day on a tablespoon. The mixture is washed with water. The course of treatment is 7 days. Then a break of 14 days and again a seven-day course. The treatment according to this scheme is carried out until the end of the infusion. It can then be prepared again and the treatment regimen repeated.
- Burdock. In this case, fresh leaves of the plant are used to eliminate the disease. At night, the diseased legs are smeared with Vishnevsky's ointment and wrapped on top with a burdock leaf. All are fixed with a bandage and compression knitwear is applied. The bandage is worn for three days, after which it is removed and everything is washed. It is possible to treat yourself in this way in the summer, while fresh burdock grows.
Important:such treatment is contraindicated in patients with high acidity of gastric juice.
conclusions
It is worth realizing that varicose veins are in most cases an irreversible pathology. That is why it is so important to take care of the health of your feet. Especially if there is a genetic predisposition to varicose veins. It is enough to give up bad habits, to make your daily diet balanced, to walk more and to drink enough clean water a day. At the slightest sign of varicose veins, it is advisable to contact a competent phlebologist immediately to prevent complications of the disease. Remember that your health and the inner health of your feet is entirely up to you. And modern medicine and the hands of a professional can do wonders.