Varicose veins are a disease in which they stretch and reduce the elasticity of the walls.The disease occurs as a result of impaired outflow from the veins;most often the disease is localized in the lower extremities.This is the most common medical condition associated with vascular diseases.This occurs several times more often in women than in men.
Varicose veins can appear in women with enlarged pelvic veins, in men as varicoceles, and in anyone as hemorrhoids.Often, pregnancy is a provoking factor in the development of this condition, since changes in blood rheology towards thickening, as well as increased pressure of the uterus on the pelvic veins, increase venous stagnation.
The disease develops as a result of incompetence of venous valves, changes in the vascular wall (its expansion, decrease in elasticity).
How do varicose veins manifest?
This pathological process does not begin completely suddenly, but at first the symptoms of varicose veins are not typical and can be attributed to ordinary fatigue.The overflow of blood in the veins is accompanied by a feeling of heaviness in the legs, and fatigue when walking and prolonged standing develops more quickly than before.
At this stage, treatment and prevention of the disease is most effective, but many do not pay attention to this, therefore they most often consult a doctor in already very advanced cases.
The formation of vascular networks in the form of "stars" or "bundles" begins to cause some discomfort, because in addition to increased fatigue and the appearance of swelling, many women worry about the very fact that the appearance of the legs becomes less aesthetic.
Stagnation of blood in the vessels does not disappear by itself, and therefore the disease begins to progress.As a result, the swelling becomes more pronounced, it does not disappear after taking a horizontal position, muscle pain appears, and metabolic disorders lead to the development of cramps in the legs, especially characteristic of this disease, the skin of the legs dries out and becomes irritated.
At the same time, veins begin to protrude, which are clearly visible under the skin, like blue strands, some of them change their shape, becoming denser and more convoluted.The patient is worried about changes in skin color and itching.In case of phlebitis, the vein swells, becomes harder and the skin in this area turns red.
With varicose veins in the pelvis, pain most often occurs in the extreme lower abdomen, characterized by intensification when lifting heavy objects, before the start of menstruation and during sexual intercourse.All of these situations lead to increased blood flow and congestion.The provoking factor in the development of varicose veins of the small pelvis is pregnancy and childbirth.
Characteristics of circulatory disorders in deep veins
Some people think that varicose veins are just a cosmetic defect that causes problems only for the fair sex, but this is not the case.The main outflow of blood from the legs to the heart is through the deep veins, so this pathology does not always manifest itself in the form of external changes.
Manifestations of the disease, with a predominance of such a phenomenon as deep venous varicose veins, are no different from other variants of the disease - heaviness in the legs appears, swelling develops, which intensifies as pathological changes progress, and later, a change in skin color and the development of trophic ulcers in the affected area occurs.
There are cases where varicose veins of the deep veins of the lower extremities develop secondarily, due to stagnation of all veins, as flow disturbances in the superficial vessels cause increased stress on the superficial vessels.
Treatment and therapy
Treatment of varicose veins can be therapeutic and surgical.Conservatively, you can relieve the disease if the changes in the veins are not too pronounced;for this, there are venotonics, ointments and gels for topical use.All this is combined with wearing compression stockings.
Surgical methods include many methods of radical relief from severe varicose veins.This includes phlebectomy, crossectomy and vein extraction.Among modern methods, endoscopic venous surgery is practiced.