What is varicose veins: its symptoms and treatment

Vascular diseases pose a serious threat to human health and even 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 ailment is a rather laborious process and requires a lot of effort on the part of the patient himself. What are varicose veins? Disease of the lower extremities is a pathological process, during the development of which damage to the blood vessels of the legs occurs, which manifests itself in the form of expansion, tortuosity, as well as the occurrence of irreversible changes in the valvular apparatus (anatomical structures that prevent non-physiological blood flow). As a result, a person can develop valvular insufficiency of the veins.

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

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 some 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 occurrence 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, based on medical statistics, are formed somewhat less frequently than in female representatives. At any stage of varicose veins, the treatment has many nuances and takes a long time.

Causes contributing to the development of the disease

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

1. hereditary predisposition. Due to 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. Pregnancy. In this case, the pathology may appear due to an increase in the volume of blood circulating through the body and squeezing by the uterus of the vessels located behind the abdominal cavity.
4. Malnutrition. The possibility of developing the disease increases in those people whose diet does not include raw fruits and vegetables or with a small amount of their consumption.
5. Hormonal imbalance. Scientists have proved that with long-term use of drugs that contain hormonal substances in their composition, they can adversely affect not only the human hormonal background, but also the state of blood vessels.
6. Sedentary lifestyle. For example, a long stay of the body in the same sitting or standing position contributes to the development of congestive disorders in the blood flow of the lower extremities. In addition, long-term use of corsets, which provoke an increase in intra-abdominal pressure, has a negative effect on the vascular system of the legs. The same harmful effect is caused by tight upper and lower clothing, which compresses 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 pathology

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

The initial stage is characterized by the absence of venous outflow disorders. Quite often, the disease can proceed into the compensatory stage, which is expressed in the form of an 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 the 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 are formed mainly during the prolonged stay of the body in an upright position. These symptoms disappear immediately after the person takes a supine position.
2. Feeling of constant heaviness in the lower limbs, pain of a dull nature, fatigue in the legs and convulsions, which appear mainly at night.
3. Itchy skin. This manifestation of vascular disease becomes more pronounced in the evening and indicates the development of trophic disorders (deterioration of nutrition of epidermal tissues, manifested in the form of ulcerative neoplasms that form on its surface). Pathological changes in the dermis are often localized on the front and inside 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 widespread violation of venous circulation. In some cases, varicose veins are accompanied by severe dizziness and loss of consciousness, which occur as a result of a sharp drop in blood pressure.
5. The skin in the area of deterioration of blood circulation processes becomes tight, rough and dry.

The method of treatment of the disease

How to treat 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 the following general recommendations, namely, maintaining an active lifestyle, regular physical education, the use of elastic bandages and compression stockings. In addition, the patient is prescribed some phlebotonic drugs. It is impossible to treat varicose veins only with conservative therapy, since this method of eliminating the disease cannot completely restore 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 applied to 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 must wear such a stocking for 1 month, until dense adhesions are formed. Treatment of varicose veins without surgery is prescribed only for patients who do not have an advanced state 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, coagulation of veins with laser and radiofrequency. How to get rid of varicose veins through the use of surgery? Surgical treatment of the disease involves the 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 under the condition that the disease is not in an advanced state, when it is not possible to restore normal blood circulation in the lower limbs.

Its effectiveness will also depend on the therapy to be used, so the patient should not neglect the course of treatment prescribed by the doctor, but fully adhere to all the recommendations of the doctor.