Varicose veins are characterized by uneven enlargement of the lumen of the veins of the legs, the appearance of nodes on them and increasing their length.The disease develops gradually, characterized by a chronic course.
Women suffer from varicose veins three times more than men.And among the representatives of the stronger sex, the persons are prone to this disease who love sports with the maximum distribution of leg load: football, tennis, basketball.
Why is the vein enlargement
There are three types of veins in the tissues of the legs: superficial, deep, bonding superficial and deep veins.Each vein is a hollow tube on which the blood flows from the tissues of the legs to the heart.There are no muscle cells in the walls of the veins, so the vein cannot shrink to push the blood up.This task is performed by skeletal muscles of the legs.And the valves are located in the veins - they close their wing at the time of reduction of the skeletal muscles, avoiding the reverse flow of blood.Any muscle contraction "pushes" the blood on top.
When the valves blink freely, part of the blood flows back, stagnates in Vienna, presses on its walls, gradually stretching them.The lumen of the veins expands, its wall extends.This is the beginning of varicose veins.
Factors provoking the disease:
- Heredity - With a congenital lack of collagen fibers, the wall of the vein is less elastic and prone to stretching.
- Blood stagnation in the veins of the legs with overweight and obesity, wearing shoes with a heel of more than 3-4 centimeters, with prolonged standing in one place for people with certain professions during office employees and sellers, chefs, teachers or long sitting with office employees.
- Changes in the hormonal background: The increased content of progesterone in the blood of a pregnant woman makes the walls soft and stretched so that the risk of varicose veins during the period of carrying the child increases sharply.
The first signs of varicose veins - how can I not miss
The alarm for initial varicose veins is considered at the moment when vascular stars or vascular networks - reticular varicose veins appear on the skin of the feet.This is not a cosmetic defect, but the onset of the disease!
At the same time or after a while, the second group of characters joins - a feeling of weight in the legs, exploding in the legs after a long standing or sitting in a chair.When a person begins to walk, the feeling of heaviness decreases: the skeletal muscles pour over stagnant blood higher and stretch the walls of the veins decreases.
The more current development of the disease is manifested by swelling of the legs - these are traces of socks, thickening of one leg relative to the other with visual examination.
Later, there is pain in the muscles of the calf of the legs, fatigue when walking, dry skin and its pigmentation, protruding enlarged nodes and the formation of trophic ulcers.
When to contact a vascular surgeon?
When the first vascular networks and stars appear, you should consult a specialist and, if necessary, perform an ultrasound examination of the veins of the lower limbs and conduct varicose veins in the veins.The earlier the diagnosis of varicose veins is diagnosed, the more chance of stopping it at the initial stage.