WHAT IS VARICOSIS?

Many people experience varicose veins in their lifetime.Unfortunately, this is a fairly common phenomenon that affects not only the feet, as is commonly believed, but also other organs.Fortunately, it is treatable.It is true that it is long and complicated and should be started only after fully understanding the reasons for its occurrence.

WHAT CAUSES VARICOSCOSE, WHO SHOULD BE WORRIED?

The main symptoms of the onset of the disease:

• the appearance of spider veins or even a network;
• veins became visible;
• the skin of the legs is unpleasantly dry;
• leg muscle cramps;
• swelling of the legs and heaviness at the end of the day;
• thickening or darkening;
• veins became sensitive.

What are varicose veins?This question plagues many middle-aged people and others.This term refers to swelling of the veins of the lower extremities.The veins swell, form knots, become very tortuous and create a lumpy 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 in the vein to increase.When it exceeds all normal levels, the excess blood begins to have a stretching effect on the vein walls.The ends 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.Leg vessels 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 the help of elastic bandages, and Hippocrates, Avicenna and Paracelsus tried to come up with more effective ways of treatment.

It is very scary that this pathology is very common - approximately 25 percent of the world's population is susceptible to this disease.Phlebologists say that the main cause of varicose veins is the poor level of development of the connective tissue of the legs.Most often, women suffer from this disease, because constant hormonal changes create good conditions for the development of the disease.

PREVENTION OF VARICOSIS

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 life-threatening.Varicose veins of other organs are most often companions of various diseases, and to achieve a real effect, they must be treated together with them.Risk groups that should first be remembered for the prevention of varicose veins:

1. Anyone who leads a sedentary lifestyle.
2. This costs a lot during the day, for example at work.
3. Who is overweight or obese.
4. Constantly wears high heels or shoes that are too tight.
5. There are diseases (or recent surgery) in the pelvic area.
6. Wears tight clothing that restricts blood flow.
7. Often sits cross-legged.
8. Pregnant women.
9. Athletes training with regular overloads.
10. Takes hormonal drugs.

Many people do not even suspect that they are carriers of a serious disease.The advanced stage of this disease is quite difficult to treat, unlike the initial stage.Therefore, everyone, and especially those who have bad heredity, should know what varicose veins are, their symptoms and remember that a timely visit to a phlebologist is just as necessary as a preventive examination at the dentist.You need to take care of your health yourself without letting things develop.

Varicose veins, what is it?

To understand what varicose veins are, let's look at the main causes of this disease.As you know, our body is pierced by a dense network of blood vessels, some of which push blood towards the heart - the veins, others, on the contrary, carry it in the opposite direction - the arteries.As long as the system is running smoothly and the blood vessels are clean, elastic and not subjected to excessive strain, all is well.If regular failures begin, sooner or later they can lead to diseases, one of which is varicose veins.

It can appear in any part of the body, but is most often located in the extremities.Partly because, lifting the blood up the legs, the veins withstand great loads, partly because our limbs are one of the most stressed 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.

VARIOUS VEINS OF THE EXTREMITIES: COMPLICATIONS

The most common form of this disease, which is actually meant by the mention of varicose veins, is varicose veins of the legs.His initial symptoms were listed above, but what could lead to neglect of treatment?We list the main complications of this disease:

• thrombophlebitis;
• phlebothrombosis;
• trophic ulcers;
• bleeding from enlarged nodes.

What is thrombophlebitis?This is inflammation of the walls of the external veins and the appearance of blood clots on them, which not only narrow the space for blood flow, but eventually can completely block the vessel.It accompanies varicose veins of the limbs almost from the beginning.And a person who does not take care of his veins, as a result of this and a bunch of complications, gets acute thrombophlebitis, when a blood clot not only interferes with blood circulation, but is also a center of inflammation, affecting not only the walls of the vessel, but also nearby tissues.

Phlebothrombosis- this is the name of deep venous thrombophlebitis, an equally serious and difficult to treat disease, when thrombosis interferes with blood flow and the vessels and tissues around them become inflamed.What is thrombosis?This is the appearance of blood clots in the vessels that interfere with blood flow or even completely block 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 a complete blockage can eventually lead to cell death, that is, tissue necrosis.

The particular danger of these diseases is that it can eventually lead to thromboembolism - a blood clot, once detached, will migrate with the blood flow throughout the body, blocking one of the large arteries, which in turn can be fatal.

Another serious problem, varicose veins in the last stages, are trophic ulcers - open, long-lasting non-healing wounds.how long If within a month and a half the wound does not seem to heal, it is a trophic ulcer.It is treated, but it is a long and complicated treatment, when surgical and therapeutic methods must be combined.

No less dangerous is a complication such as bleeding from enlarged nodes.It can be caused either simply by thinning of the blood vessels at the sites of thickening, or by mechanical stress.Because it costs nothing to damage a vessel that has thinned and lost its elasticity.Don't think this only applies to external veins;those located deep down are just as "delicate" and susceptible to any stress, shock or displacement.

Consequences of non-treatment of varicose veins in the photo:

The varicose veins in the video make an even more depressing impression.To prevent this, you should consult a doctor as early as possible and strictly follow all his instructions, both in terms of treatment and lifestyle.

TYPES OF VARICOSIS

As mentioned above, there are other types of varicose veins.There are many of them;these diseases occur for a variety of reasons, and while some are quite widespread, others are very rare, usually associated with other diseases.

1. Reticular varicose veins are a network of blue stars on the thighs and calves.It occurs even in young and thin people and is often considered only a cosmetic defect, although this is the first bell - you need to visit a phlebologist.
2. Stars and vascular networks on the face are a reason to visit an endocrinologist, as this often indicates that a person has problems in the endocrine system.Although the reason may also be in the lifestyle - abuse of alcohol, fatty and unhealthy foods, tanning, habit of squeezing acne.
3. Varicose veins of the hands - most often this problem occurs in athletes and those whose work requires a constant heavy load on the hands.
4. A varicocele is an enlarged vein that surrounds the testicles.This is a very common pathology and that is why men, especially teenagers, should consult a doctor at the first symptoms, because untreated often leads to infertility.
5. Hemorrhoids are dilated veins in the rectum.It can be caused not only by a sedentary lifestyle, but also by lifting weights, pregnancy, constipation and a host of other reasons.
6. Varicose veins of the legs have several stages, and if treatment is not started at the initial stage, it can lead to serious vascular pathologies and disability.
7. Varicose veins of internal organs usually appear as a complication of other diseases or in the postoperative period.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 any type from detailed articles published on our website.We try to talk regularly about both traditional and cutting-edge treatment methods.

CHRONIC VENOUS INSUFFICIENCY

The source of this problem is bipedal life, which means that we are the only species on Earth that is susceptible to it.We won't go into pseudoscientific hypotheses explaining why this happened, although some of them are quite amusing.One, for example, suggests that humanity arrived on earth from Mars, where the force of gravity is much less and therefore our body is not adapted to terrestrial loads, the other that humans were created by aliens and were underdeveloped somewhere.However, walking upright requires the blood vessels to lift blood to a considerable height, which means that it puts them under serious stress.

Normally, this system works harmoniously, the blood quickly and evenly supplies all parts of the body with oxygen and necessary substances.But if some damage occurs (injury, for example) or the body is constantly affected by some adverse factors (hard work, heavy weight, hormonal deficiency, etc.), CVI develops - chronic venous insufficiency.In recent decades, this disease has become significantly younger and now occurs not only in the older generation, but also in adolescents, and therefore everyone should know its symptoms:

• telangiectasia - expansion of small surface vessels;
• swelling of the legs, worse in the evening;
• cramps, goosebumps 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, which were 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, you should 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 treated with pills, it is actually a lifestyle that must be followed constantly in order not to encounter more serious stages of its development.

Modern science offers many treatment methods that to some extent compensate for CVI, eliminating both its external manifestations and generally positively affecting the condition of blood vessels.For example, read about spider veins on the legs, their causes and treatment.Medicine now offers a range 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 get rid of telangiectasia and its causes include therapeutic exercises and lymphatic drainage massage.

Treatment of varicose veins with complications is much more difficult, but here too the integrated approach does its job.what do you mean Here's what modern medicine offers:

1. Therapeutic methods - medications, special underwear, massage, physiotherapy.
2. Surgical methods (phlebectomy, miniphlebectomy, short stripping, endoscopic venous dissection, etc.).This is the most radical method of treating varicose veins, which requires not only preparation for the operation, its professional execution, but also qualified postoperative monitoring.

Medicinal treatment of varicose veins includes the use of drugs both for oral administration - such as drops, tablets and capsules, and for application to the skin - these are various ointments that are used to rub sore legs.Some drugs narrow and strengthen blood vessels, others relieve inflammation, and others reduce blood clotting, so they can only be used after a doctor's prescription.The external means, i.e.various creams, ointments and jellies, usually have analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic properties.Often they are supplemented with components that affect blood clotting.These drugs act mainly on superficial vessels, but have fewer contraindications.

After detection of chronic venous insufficiency, if possible, it is necessary to exclude the causes of venous disease.That is, change jobs that require you to stand on your feet all day or lift weights, lose weight, give up spicy food, etc.It is clear that, 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.