What are varicose veins on the legs

Varicose veins of the legs are one of the most common diseases in the world, in most cases occurring in women (up to three times more often than in men).

The causes of the disease are directly related to the anatomical structure of the veins in the lower extremities of a person.

Diagnosis and prescription of therapy are carried out only by a specialist after a thorough examination of the patient.

Anatomy

Varicose veins are a serious disease that can affect absolutely anyone, especially after the age of 30.

The causes of the disease include hemorrhoids, pregnancy, taking hormonal drugs, increased venous pressure due to a sedentary lifestyle, frequent and prolonged standing or due to problems with excess weight.

To better understand the disease, it is necessary to become more familiar with the anatomical structure of the veins of the human lower extremities.There are three groups of veins in the leg area:

Superficial	They are located directly in the subcutaneous fat.
Deep	They are located even deeper and are accompanied by arteries.
Perforating	Combine both groups described above.

The deep veins are the last to be affected in severe cases of the disease and lack of proper treatment.The deep veins include the following:

• popliteal;
• anterior and posterior tibialis;
• femoral

Superficial veins, in turn, are divided into two:

Small subcutaneous	It has valves and is located on the outside of the legs, includes smaller veins of the back and side of the lower leg, which are connected to each other using connecting veins.
Greater subcutaneous	Located on the inside of the legs, also having valves, many other blood-collecting veins flow into it from the front of the thighs.

The venous wall consists of collagen and elastic fibers, consisting of three layers:

Intimacy, otherwise internal	Endothelium, consisting of longitudinally arranged smooth muscle cells and forming valves - folds located opposite each other, designed to maintain muscle tone.
Media, otherwise average	Consists of smooth muscle cells arranged in a circular pattern.
Adventitia, otherwise external	It consists of loose connective tissue and smooth muscle cells, located longitudinally and surrounded by nerves and small vessels responsible for tissue nutrition.

The valves, due to their location, ensure a directed and rapid flow of blood from the superficial veins to the deep ones and from the legs to the heart.

With their help, the backflow of blood and an increase in intravenous pressure are prevented, and small vessels and capillaries are protected.

With varicose veins of the lower extremities, a loss of elasticity and tone of the walls of blood vessels and their valves occurs, which, in turn, disrupts proper blood circulation in the problem area and ultimately can cause the formation of blood clots.

That is why the disease develops after damage to the inner, middle or both layers of the venous walls.

Causes of varicose veins on the legs

Despite the fact that the exact causes of the disease are quite difficult to establish, there are prerequisites for the development of varicose veins, presented below:

Hormonal imbalances	Occurs in connection with pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, menopause;a large amount of hormones in the body increases blood clotting and reduces vascular tone, which ultimately causes deformation of the veins and the formation of blood clots.
Diabetes mellitus	Elevated blood sugar levels damage valves and vein walls.
Hereditary predisposition	If a family or relatives have varicose veins in the legs, a mutation occurs in the genes responsible for the strength of veins and blood vessels, which is later inherited by children.
Physical overload of the body	It happens in people who have professions that involve heavy physical labor, for example, loaders.
Long walking and standing in an upright position	They reduce muscle tone and increase intra-abdominal pressure, which becomes the basis for obstruction of blood circulation and the development of varicose veins.
Obesity	It causes illness for the same reasons as physical overload of the body, and is also the basis for a decrease in mobility.
Congenital bleeding disorder	Reduces the passage of blood through the veins and vessels, leading to the formation of blood clots.
Alcohol consumption	Dehydration of the body thickens the blood and impairs its outflow, leading to blockage of blood vessels and the appearance of blood clots.
Chronic constipation	Pushing increases intra-abdominal and venous pressure, impeding blood circulation in the legs.
Poor nutrition and non-compliance with diet	To strengthen the walls of veins, some vitamins are required, namely E, ascorbic acid, P, etc.
Dehydration	Significantly thickens the blood and leads to the formation of clots;occurs for many reasons, for example, thirst in the hot season.
Wearing tight clothing	Obstruction of blood flow is associated with prolonged compression of the lower extremities.
Wearing high heels	Insufficient activity of the lower leg muscles leads to blood stagnation.
Compression of blood vessels	Due to an uncomfortable position on the operating table or blood loss during surgery.
Use or overdose of drugs that increase blood clotting	Significantly increase the chance of vascular blockage.
Kidney or heart disease	For example, a birth defect.

The reasons described above most often lead to the appearance of varicose veins in a person.In most cases, health problems appear in people after 30 or 40 years of age, as well as in old age, when the normal functioning of the venous system is disrupted.

Diagnostics

When the first signs of varicose veins appear on the legs, you should go to the hospital as soon as possible, because the disease is faster and easier to treat at the initial stage of development.

Symptoms of the disease manifest themselves mainly in the following:

• feeling of heaviness and fatigue in the legs;
• burning in the problem area;
• swelling;
• swelling of veins;
• painful sensations.

Diagnosis of the disease is possible only after a detailed examination of the patient by a doctor, for example, by a phlebologist - a specialist who deals with vein diseases.

The success of treatment directly depends on the stage of development of the disease and the patient’s complications with varicose veins.That is why visiting a clinic is recommended at the initial stage.

The most commonly used methods for diagnosing varicose veins:

Ultrasound angioscanning	It has a high accuracy of studying the condition of the veins, assessing blood circulation and pressure inside them.
Phleboscintigraphy	Studying the venous walls using a special device after administration of a contrast agent is used in exceptional cases, if other research methods have not been effective.
Dopplerography	Ultrasound method for assessing bleeding in blood vessels.
Wire tests, for example, Pratt, Trendelenburg, Delbe-Perthes, Sheinis and others	Used to evaluate valves and patency within veins.
Phlebography	X-ray examination of the veins from the inside using a special contrast agent.

After making a diagnosis of varicose veins in the lower extremities, the doctor prescribes appropriate treatment, which usually includes 2 types of intervention.

Non-surgical treatment involves the following methods of therapy:

Following a strict diet	Smoking, smoked meats, coffee, marinades and alcohol are absolutely excluded. To successfully get rid of varicose veins, you need to consume at least two liters of fluid per day and include healthy foods rich in vitamins in your diet, such as: rose hips, citrus, tomatoes (ascorbic acid); cherries, sweet cherries (bioflavonoids); nuts, currants, grapefruit (vitamin P); liver, onions, eggs, legumes (vitamin E); copper, phosphorus (seafood).
Maintaining a daily routine	If you have varicose veins of the lower extremities, abruptly getting out of bed in the morning is not recommended.While sleeping, you should place a pillow or bolster under your sore leg to keep it elevated. Walking should be leisurely and calm; you should not cross your legs or wear high heels until complete recovery. Before treating varicose veins on the legs in men, it is necessary to eliminate all factors that contribute to blood thickening (for example, smoking).
Medicines	Prescribed as additional nutrition for body cells, helping to restore the tone of venous vessels and valves. Drug treatment is used to combat the symptoms of the disease; varicose veins can be completely eliminated only by following complex therapy. Medicines are prescribed for severe forms of the disease (for example, when thrombophlebitis appears).
Physiotherapy and therapeutic exercises	A prerequisite for the treatment of varicose veins of the legs is moderate physical activity to restore proper blood circulation in the lower extremities, as well as undergoing special therapeutic procedures aimed at improving the patient’s well-being (for example, foot baths, contrast showers, etc.).
Folk remedies	They are used only as an additional therapy to improve health and get rid of some symptoms of varicose veins. For example, using a bath with a herbal mixture of chamomile, chestnut, St. John's wort and oak bark or dousing the feet with cool water with a small addition of apple cider vinegar is considered an effective remedy for relieving swelling and fatigue of the legs.

Surgical intervention involves the use of the following methods of therapy:

Surgical radiofrequency ablation of varicose veins	For trophic ulcers and damage to the great or small saphenous veins.
Phlebectomy	For extensive varicose veins.
Laser therapy	It is distinguished by its safety and speed of procedure.
Sclerotherapy	In the early stages.

You should always remember that only a specialist can prescribe this or that method of treatment.Self-medication can cause serious complications for the patient’s health.

Complications

Delayed consultation with a doctor or lack of proper treatment for varicose veins in the legs is fraught with consequences.

Below is a list of possible complications that occur in the absence of proper therapy and non-compliance with doctor’s recommendations:

• thrombophlebitis (inflammatory disease of the vein walls, accompanied by the formation of blood clots);
• change in skin color in the problem area;
• dermatitis (an inflammatory process in the affected area of the leg occurs due to inadequate nutrition of the skin and tissues);
• pulmonary embolism (a thrombus that gets into the branches of the pulmonary artery provokes pulmonary edema or infarction; another outcome of thromboembolism can be the death of the patient);
• swelling of the legs due to poor circulation and blood stagnation;
• eczema of the legs or the appearance of trophic ulcers (occurs due to insufficient oxygen supply);
• formation of compactions due to swelling;
• the appearance of blood clots due to stagnation or thickening of blood with subsequent blockage of blood vessels and capillaries.

To avoid the occurrence of these complications and reduce the chance of death due to blood clots, the patient is advised to urgently seek medical help.

Varicose veins on the lower extremities can be cured, avoiding health complications, by consulting a doctor at an early stage in the development of the disease.

There are many options for diagnosing a patient, as well as a large selection of therapy methods that are selected individually for each patient.The success of treatment first of all always depends on the person himself and his desire to recover.