Varicose veins are a common pathological process accompanied by varicose veins, nodules and blood stasis. Internal varicose veins on the legs are characterized by the nodular structure of the venous vessels on the epidermis. In the initial stage of the disease there are no symptoms. Many people have a question about what the treatment of this ailment should be.
What is this disease?
Varicose veins of the lower limbs are a very dangerous disease that can be fatal. This is a pathological lesion of the organs of the circulatory system. With the complication of the disease, an irreversible process of stretching and lengthening of the veins is observed.
Nodules begin to form in the capillaries that obstruct normal blood flow. With varicose veins of deep veins, the walls of the vessels expand so much that the functioning of the valves worsens. Because of this, the blood begins to stagnate in the legs.The disease mainly affects people between the ages of 30 and 40.
Reasons for development
The causes of this disorder can be very different. Among them are:
- hereditary factors (possible congenital anomaly or weakness of venous cells);
- is more common in women (in women, the disease is observed much more often due to the use of hormonal drugs, the risk also increases due to postponement);
- increased pressure inside the veins (this is due to an inactive lifestyle, in the presence of excess weight);
- the presence of neuroendocrine changes; mechanical obstacles to normal blood circulation (this can be facilitated by constant compression of the limbs);
- the presence of allergic reactions;
- changes in the immune system;
- disturbances in the functioning of the valves of the venous system;
- this pathology can begin to develop due to cellulitis or dermatitis.
Before starting treatment, it is imperative to determine the root cause of the disease. An experienced phlebologist will help you do this.
Symptoms and manifestations of internal varicose veins
It is important to consult a doctor in time,if varicose veins of the lower limbs appear. The symptoms of this disease in the phase of the only appearance of varicose veins will be the following:
- there is swelling in the extremities by the end of the day(this symptom is visible in the ankles and feet, edema can also appear in the lower half of the lower partleg);
- the patient develops a feeling of heaviness in the calf muscles(a feeling of swelling occurs after a long walk or standing, which can occur after a long stay in a sitting position).
A feature of this disorder is the fact thatafter rest, all symptoms disappear without a trace.It shrinks even after a long rest.
During the gradual development period of varicose veins, the following symptoms will begin to appear:
- in the area of the calf muscles, moderate pain begins to appear, such pains are dull and aching;
- local burning sensation and fatigue;
- excessive dryness of the skin appears, pigment spots and hardening of the skin begin to appear;
- cramps very often at night;
- spider veins begin to appear on the epidermis;
- the internal veins on the legs, the photos of which are presented below, begin to expand significantly, in their appearance they look like bunches of grapes;
- it is possible to form thin wounds that heal over a long period of time.
Important!Inappropriate treatment of this disease for a patient can lead to a number of complications. In some cases, a lethal outcome is possible.
After a certain period of time, eczema and trophic ulcers begin to appear. Such symptoms very easily turn into gangrene. All of this can cause limb amputation, sepsis or death.
The most dangerous consequence is the occurrence of a thrombus, with its subsequent separation. This becomes the death of the patient.
Symptoms and treatment of latent varicose veins is the question that most worries patients.
Methods of treatment
Treatment for varicose veins is carried out conservatively and in a timely manner. Treatment of the internal veins of the legs, the symptoms of which can manifest themselves in different ways, is carried out only after a preliminary diagnosis.You can use the following techniques:
- compression;
- scleropathy;
- drugs;
- surgical.
Compression methodscures help to cope with the disease in its early stage. This method of therapy involves the daily use of special compression underwear.
In the case of scleropathy, a vein is blocked. This is due to the introduction of sclero preparations into it. After such actions, the blood can easily move through the capillaries without difficulty.
Conservative treatment is effective only if the first signs of the disease appear. Among the medicines, venotonics are prescribed to patients. They help strengthen blood vessel walls as much as possible.
Self-treatment of internal varicose veins, the symptoms of which can be both mild and vice versa, is prohibited.
Prevention
In order to prevent the formation of varicose processes, it is imperative to know the root causes of this ailment and prevent its development. The preventive measures are as follows:
- constant physical activity is required (people who lead an inactive lifestyle are much more susceptible to the disease. take breaks from time to time, get up and exercise so that the blood circulates normally. );
- while sitting it is forbidden to cross the legs;
- renounce all bad habits;
- pay attention to your diet, refuse too fat and salty;
- to take therapeutic measures in connection with endocrine disorders, lead to the development of varicose veins;
- only use loose, non-tight shoes (it is necessary to ensure free blood circulation and also limit yourself to shoes with heels);
- sea bathing, but it is necessary to eliminate solar overheating.
Conclusion
It should be noted that if at least one symptom of this disease occurs, it is necessary to urgently consult a specialist. The doctor will prescribe diagnostic procedures and indicate the appropriate treatment. Delay threatens with complications.
From the above, we can summarize that latent varicose veins are a very dangerous disease that can have undesirable consequences. It is for this reason that if at least one symptom appears, it is necessary to seek help from a doctor. Only a specialist can select the necessary treatment.
Internal varicose veins on the legs: symptoms and treatment
The geography of the spread of varicose veins covers almost all countries of the world, it is one of the oldest diseases known to humanity. According to medical statistics, varicose veins of the lower limbs and pelvic organs occur in 15-17% of the population. Today, patients with this diagnosis make up about 4% of all patients in surgical clinics. According to scientists, this disease is a kind of payment for humanity for the ability to walk upright. Let's examine what internal varicose veins are, the main symptoms of the disease and effective treatment.
Explanation of the appearance of the disease
The development of internal varicose veins on the legs is one of the most dangerous types of the disease, which manifests itself in the pathological expansion of blood vessels located deep under the skin in the tissues.
This disease, unfortunately, often affects young people of working age and in women the symptoms are much more common. Internal varicose veins on the legs are often accompanied by external ones in the form of strongly protruding tuberous veins with a pronounced bluish tint.
These symptoms of varicose veins make treatment difficult. The appearance of the legs with varicose veins is presented in numerous photos from medical sites.
Dilatation of the venous vessels on the legs can be an independent pathology, but most often it is caused by other diseases, and therefore in modern medicine it is customary to divide varicose veins into primary and secondary. The cause of the primary varicose veins of the deep veins of the legs is the weakness of the venous wall or its functional pathologies, these reasons also cause varicose veins of the pelvic organs. Among the main causes of the disease stand out:
- Pregnancy.
- Overweight, morbid obesity.
- Prolonged load on the lower limbs, constant work on the legs or associated with constant heavy lifting.
- Hereditary or congenital weakness of the connective tissue of various organs.
- Prolonged walk in high heels and stockings with tight elastic.
- In elderly patients, the formation of internal varicose veins can be caused by hormonal changes in the body.
The development of secondary internal varicose veins is a consequence of changes in the process of venous blood outflow in various diseases:
- Post-thrombophlebic syndrome.
- Deep vein valve failure.
- Organ tumors of various etiology.
- Injury to limbs and other organs.
The treatment of primary and secondary varicose veins is different.
Main features
The consequences of not timely detected internal varicose veins can be very serious, so it is necessary to pay attention to the very first symptoms of the disease, especially since, in comparison with other forms of the disease, they manifest themselves very clearly visually. The main symptoms of internal varicose veins of the lower extremities are manifested in the following:
- The pain in the calf muscles is very severe, often intolerable to the point that the patient is forced to regularly take strong pain medication. These symptoms are the reason for immediate medical attention.
- The venous pattern on the lower limbs in the thigh area becomes pronounced, the vessels become strongly convex and tuberous, they are easily identifiable on palpation.
- The venous pattern acquires a cyanotic color, sometimes turning black, sometimes purple red.
- The lower limbs swell significantly and the swelling does not subside after a night's sleep.
- In the evening, after a day of standing work, the patient experiences frequent cramps in the calf muscles.
All these symptoms significantly worsen the patient's quality of life and require immediate medical attention, sometimes it is just a surgical treatment of the veins.
Clinical presentation
The severity of the symptoms of internal varicose veins depends on the stage of the disease.
At the initial stage, pathological changes in the walls of blood vessels are not detected, patients have swelling in the legs by the end of the working day and heaviness in the legs, but after a night's rest, these unpleasant sensations disappear.
Some patients have a slight pastiness, this stage of the disease is called "intradermal varicose veins". If the treatment is started at this stage of the disease, the prognosis is very favorable, since the valvular system of the veins has not yet been changed and copes with the load, the pathological symptoms will quickly disappear.
In the second stage of the disease, edema of the lower limbs becomes permanent, patients complain of constant heaviness in the legs and increased fatigue. Manifestations of internal varicose veins at this stage of the disease are also indicated by constant cramps in the calf muscles and cold extremities.
A photo in medical publications shows that blood vessels begin to appear on the skin on the inner thigh, but the areas of their appearance are not painful to palpation. At this stage, the formation of varicose veins begins, there may be bleeding from them.
These symptoms worsen very quickly, and if no treatment is given, the disease progresses to the next stage.
The third stage of varicose veins of the legs is already well defined visually, this can be seen in the photo from various medical sources.
Varicose veins and saccular enlargements caused by severe circulatory disorders are already well defined under the skin of the calves and inner thighs.
At this stage, in addition to the appearance of the knots, the patient has brittleness and hair loss, dry skin, constant cramps in the calf muscles.
The fourth stage of the disease already involves serious complications (bleeding, ulcers, etc. ), which can be fatal. It is necessary to start treating the disease immediately, without waiting for formidable symptoms.
Complications
These include the following:
Trophic ulcers of the skin of the legs.
This is a very painful complication for the patient, since trophic ulcers heal very slowly, and the patient feels constant itching and burning in the places of their localization.
The photo clearly shows that the ulcers are round in shape, brightly colored and with different types of secretions: purulent, hemorrhagic or serous discharge. They appear on the calves and on the inside of the thigh.
With competent and timely therapy, healing of ulcers begins, but if there is no help or qualified help is not provided, the patient may develop gangrene followed by limb amputation. Even death is possible.
Traumatic haemorrhage.
Massive bleeding may be due to the rupture of a vessel due to thinning of the venous wall in the case of steadily rising blood pressure or due to minor trauma. This syndrome is particularly dangerous because bleeding can lead to the patient's death.
Thrombosis is a consequence of congestion and inflammation in the veins of the lower limbs. Thrombosis can be manifested only visually in leg edema and severe pain.
With the formation of external venous nodes, thrombosis is accompanied by severe pain in the area of thrombus formation, tenderness of the veins on palpation and fever in the area of thrombosis.
Thrombosis is very life-threatening and requires urgent hospitalization and treatment, as it can lead to a heart attack and blockage of the pulmonary artery in the patient.
Principles of therapy
It is very difficult to treat internal varicose veins on the legs, and the effectiveness of therapy largely depends on the stage of the disease.
The general principles of the treatment of the disease include the normalization of hormone levels, the optimization of physical activity and adherence to the diet.
If the patient is obese, it is necessary to develop a weight loss method and monitor its implementation. To normalize the tone of the vessels of the lower extremities, it is recommended to use compression stockings.
The most effective method of treatment is surgery, the technique of which is well developed in modern surgery. A possible complication of the operation is bleeding from a vein, but the risk is low.
If for some reason surgery is impossible, for example, if the patient fears that life-threatening bleeding will begin, treatment is carried out medically using the following groups of drugs:
- Antiplatelet agents - to thin the blood and prevent blood clots.
- Phlebotonics - to normalize blood circulation and prevent edema.
- Nitrates - to relieve pain symptoms.
- Angioprotectors - to normalize the vascular tone.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - to reduce the possibility of platelet adhesion and relieve pain.
Many sources recommend treating varicose veins with folk remedies, on the Internet you can find many photos of calves and thighs in the "before" and "after" style on sites that advertise traditional medicine and guarantee 100% cure. Doctors are very wary of such drugs and warn that they can only be used as part of complex therapy.
Internal varicose veins of the lower limbs are a serious systemic disease that requires prompt and qualified treatment. The first alarming symptoms cannot be ignored. The sooner the patient seeks a doctor, the more effective the treatment will be.
Main characteristic symptoms
Specialists distinguish three stages of varicose veins of the lower limbs: compensation, undercompensation and decompensation.
Correspond to light, medium and severe course respectively. In some cases, more than a year passes between the onset of the disease and the onset of symptoms.
There is practically nothing to worry about when clearing. During a strong overload of the body, minor pains in the limbs are possible. Distal swelling that disappears after sleep.
Some people report feeling like they are spiders or goosebumps crawling down their legs. This is a consequence of the reduced blood flow and tissue trophism.
The deep vein valve apparatus is largely intact. Visible superficial changes in the skin and veins are usually not observed.
Undercompensation is characterized by a more severe clinical picture. The pains appear more and more often. They wear the pain of the sharp dagger. A normal touch can be hard work.
Patients cannot walk normally. The usual shopping trip is debugged to the last.
The legs are swollen to a large extent, exceeding the normal leg volume by one and a half times. Often, this swelling does not subside even after prolonged sleep. Traces of depressed fingers remain on the shins. Many people notice cramps in the calf muscles.
During decompensation, there are often signs of bleeding, thrombophlebitis and thrombosis, trophic ulcers.
Complications resulting from the development of internal varicose veins
The most common complication of varicose veins is bleeding. If not diagnosed promptly, it can be fatal. Even minor bleeding from the varicose veins of the lower limbs can cause irreparable damage. Stopping such a defect with a conventional pressure bandage often fails. Many surgeons come to ligation of vessels or their coagulation.
The second most frequent complication is the addition of infections with the development of trophic ulcers. Due to a decrease in tissue trophism, abscesses do not heal for a long time, chronic purulent focus is formed.
It is accompanied by general intoxication of the body, febrile fever, profuse sweating. Such wounds take a long time to heal. It depends on the degree of disturbance of the tissue trophism and the depth of the lesion.
Ulcers should not be bandaged frequently, as this can cause scabs to begin to form and lead to re-formation of an open wound.
The next most common complication is deep vein thrombosis. With poor motor function, blood stagnates and increases the risk of a blood clot, which in turn can cause pulmonary embolism.
Vascular surgeons are more afraid of a floating thrombus, since it is its distal part that tends to detach and lead to embolism.
Methods of treatment
The treatment of internal varicose veins of the lower limbs takes place in several stages.
Drug therapy is the most popular direction, which can be used in all stages of varicose veins, as well as for the prevention of vascular problems.
The basis of conservative treatment is the intake of venotonic drugs. They help strengthen the vascular wall, increase its elasticity and reduce blood stagnation. It is best to apply them internally and also externally at the injury site.
There are different classes of underwear used for the different stages of the disease. Many models will be able to satisfy the individual desire of each person, I have only positive reviews.
When worn under clothing, it will not cause any discomfort or irritation.
A correct and balanced diet is one of the important points in the treatment of varicose veins of the lower limbs. It is necessary to radically limit yourself in the consumption of salt and large quantities of liquids. It is preferable to use natural drinks and fruit juices.
Nutrition should closely match human energy consumption and contain fewer calories to avoid overweight. You should limit yourself to the consumption of fatty and fried, spicy and acidic foods. You need to give preference to fruits and vegetables. Include seafood, fermented milk dishes and products containing digestible carbohydrates in the diet.
In case of ineffectiveness of conservative therapy methods, they resort to surgical techniques. These include both invasive and minimally invasive treatments.
Prevention of the disease
Knowing the dangers of deep venous varicose veins, many want to prevent their appearance early. To do this, it is not necessary to follow strict rules, you just need to bring your lifestyle back to normal.
The main preventive measure is a regular physical activity.
You can do gymnastics, yoga, walk, swim or even dance to reduce the risk of developing many diseases.
Furthermore, it is advisable to completely or at least partially abandon bad habits. It is recommended that you adjust your work and rest schedule to give your body at least a short break.
It would be useful to modify the diet except for fried, fatty, smoked, pickled, excessively spicy or salty foods. You need to eat more fruits and vegetables.
Regular contrast showers and relaxing foot baths are good preventive measures.