What are varicose veins: their symptoms and treatment

Vascular diseases represent a serious threat to human health and even to life. Among them are varicose veins. This pathology in the international classification of diseases (ICD 10) is defined by the code number 183. The fight against such an ailment is a rather laborious process and requires a lot of effort from the patient himself. What are varicose veins? Disease of the lower extremities is a pathological process, during which damage to the blood vessels of the legs occurs, manifested in the form of their expansion, tortuosity, as well as the appearance of irreversible changes in the valvular apparatus (anatomical structures that impede unphysiological blood flow). As a result, a person may develop valvular insufficiency of the veins.

In the initial stages of varicose veins, the symptoms are characterized by the formation of nodules in the venous network or spider veins, an increase in the size of the saphenous veins, their pain and a sensation of heaviness in the legs. In the case of disease progression, symptoms of chronic venous circulatory insufficiency of a chronic nature are added (for example, swelling of the lower leg, foot, trophic ulcers, cramps in the calf muscles, thrombophlebitis and damage to altered blood vessels). to the general clinical picture.

Sometimes, if a person has some congenital diseases, swelling can occur not only in the veins of the legs, but also in the vessels of certain internal organs. For example, the development of portal hypertension often causes vasodilation of the esophagus, and when a varicocele occurs, capillary varicose veins of the spermatic cord are observed.

Regardless of the location of the pathological process, there is a hereditary predisposition to the appearance of an increase in capillaries, the appearance of which is associated with the presence of congenital weakness of the vascular walls in humans and insufficiency of the venous valves. At the same time, varicose veins in men, according to medical statistics, are formed less often compared to female representatives. At any stage of varicose veins, treatment is very nuanced and time consuming.

Causes contributing to the development of the disease

A vascular disease such as varicose veins of the lower extremities can have many predisposing factors. The most common of these are:

1. hereditary predisposition. As a result of the lack of connective tissue in the human body, a weakening of the tone of the vascular walls may occur, which in turn will contribute to the expansion of the venous system of the legs.

2. The presence of excessive body weight..
3. The pregnancy. In this case, the pathology may appear due to an increase in the volume of blood circulating in the body and squeezing the uterus from the vessels located behind the abdominal cavity.
4. Malnutrition. The possibility of developing the disease increases in those people in whose diet there are no raw vegetables and fruits or with a small amount of their consumption.
5. hormonal imbalance. Scientists have shown that with long-term use of drugs that have hormonal substances in their composition, they can negatively affect not only the human hormonal background, but also the state of the blood vessels.
6. sedentary lifestyle. For example, a prolonged stay of the body in the same sitting or standing position contributes to the development of congestive disorders in the bloodstream of the lower extremities. In addition, the prolonged use of corsets, which provoke an increase in intra-abdominal pressure, has an adverse effect on the vascular system of the legs. The same detrimental effect is caused by tight upper and lower clothing, which squeezes the arteries located in the region of the inguinal folds.
7. psychosomatic factor. The constant impact on a person of strong stressful situations.

Clinical manifestations of the pathology.

Symptoms and treatment of varicose veins completely depend on the stage of development of the disease. Sometimes some patients, even before the onset of visual symptoms of varicose veins, may complain of a feeling of heaviness in the legs, increased fatigue, pain in the ankle area. In addition, there is the possibility of developing telangiectasias.

The initial stage is characterized by the absence of alterations in venous flow. Very often, the disease can proceed to the compensatory stage, which is expressed in the form of asymptomatic development of the pathological process. In this case, most patients are not even aware of the presence of varicose veins, so they simply do not go to the doctor.

With further progression of the disease, a person has the first well-defined signs of varicose veins, which have the following manifestations:

1. Transient pain syndrome, swelling, which is formed mainly during prolonged stay of the body in an upright position. These symptoms disappear immediately after the person assumes a supine position.
2. Feeling of constant heaviness in the lower extremities, dull pain, tiredness of the legs and convulsions, which appear mainly at night.
3. Itchy skin. This manifestation of vascular disease becomes more pronounced at night and indicates the development of trophic disorders (impairment in the nutrition of epidermal tissues, manifested in the form of ulcerative neoplasms that form on their surface). Pathological changes in the dermis are often localized in the front and inner part of the ankle.
4. When conducting an external examination of the patient's legs, the doctor detects a sufficiently large swelling of the capillaries and a generalized violation of the venous circulation. In some cases, varicose veins are accompanied by severe dizziness and loss of consciousness, which occurs as a result of a sharp drop in blood pressure.
5. The skin in the area of impaired blood circulation processes becomes tight, rough and dry.

The method of treatment of the disease

How to deal with varicose veins? In the fight against this disease, three main treatment regimens are used:

1. conservative therapy. How to remove varicose veins conservatively? This method of eliminating the disease includes following the general recommendations, that is, maintaining an active lifestyle, regular physical education, the use of elastic bandages and compression stockings. Also, the patient is prescribed certain phlebotonic drugs. It is impossible to treat varicose veins only with conservative therapy, since this method of eliminating the disease is not able to fully restore the dilated vessels;

2. compression sclerotherapy. This method of eliminating pathology involves the introduction of a special drug into the enlarged vein. As a result, a spasm occurs in the affected vessel, after which a compression stocking is put on the patient's leg, which keeps it in the resulting state. After 3 days, the walls of the vein begin to stick together. The patient should wear such a stocking for 1 month, until dense adhesions form. Treatment of varicose veins without surgery is prescribed only for patients who do not have an advanced stage of the pathological process.
3. Surgery. How to treat varicose veins with surgery? To eliminate vascular pathology in an operative way, a large number of surgical techniques are used, including microsurgery, laser and radiofrequency coagulation of veins. How to get rid of varicose veins by using surgery? Surgical treatment of the disease involves complete removal of the affected vessels.

Can varicose veins be cured without surgery? Experts say that it is possible to do without excision of dilated veins, but only on the condition that the disease is not in an advanced state, when it is not possible to restore normal blood circulation in the lower extremities.

Its effectiveness will also depend on which therapy to use, so the patient should not neglect the course of treatment prescribed by the doctor, but follow all the doctor's recommendations.