Varicose veins are characterized by uneven expansion of the lumen of the leg veins, the appearance of nodules on them and an increase in their length. The disease develops gradually, is characterized by a chronic course.
Women are three times more likely to suffer from varicose veins than men. Among the members of the stronger sex are prone to these diseases people who love sports with maximum distribution on the feet: football, tennis, basketball.
Why do varicose veins occur
There are three types of veins in the tissues of the legs: superficial, deep, connecting superficial, and deep veins. Each vein is a hollow tube through which 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 contract and the blood rises. This task is performed by the skeletal muscles of the legs. And the valves are located inside the veins - they close the valves during the contraction of the skeletal muscles, which prevents the blood from flowing back. Each contraction of the muscles "raises" the blood.
When the valve fins are not tightly closed, some of the blood flows back, stops in the vein, climbs its walls, and gradually stretches. The lumen of the vein widens, its wall stretched. This is the beginning of varicose veins.
Factors causing the disease:
- Inheritance - with a congenital lack of collagen fibers, the vein wall is less elastic and prone to stretching.
- Blood stagnation in the veins of the legs Overweight and obese, wearing shoes more than 3-4 cm high, people in certain professions - hairdressers and salesmen, cooks, lecturers, cooks, lecturers or office workers standing for a long time in one place. Changes in hormonal levels: Increased levels of progesterone in a pregnant woman's blood soften and strengthen the walls, so the risk of varicose veins during pregnancy increases dramatically.
The first signs of varicose veins - how not to miss
The moment when spider veins or spider veins - reticular varicose veins appear on the skin of the foot - is considered to be an alarm signal for primary varicose veins. This is not a cosmetic defect, but the beginning of the disease!
Simultaneously or after a while, join the second group of groups - feeling heavy in the legs, stretching the legs after standing for a long time or sitting on a chair. When a person begins to walk, the feeling of heaviness decreases: the skeletal muscles stop the blood higher and the tension of the vein walls decreases.
Further development of the disease is manifested by swelling of the feet - these are the signs of socks, thickening of one foot compared to the other during visual examination.
Later, pain in the calf muscles of the legs, rapid fatigue during walking, joins the dry skin of the feet and its pigmentation, the growth of varicose veins and the formation of trophic ulcers.
When should I see a vascular surgeon?
When the first spider veins and asterisks appear, you should consult a specialist and, if necessary, have an ultrasound examination of the veins of the lower extremities and surgery for varicose veins. The earlier a varicose vein is diagnosed, the more likely it is to stop at an early stage.