A fairly common disease of the veins and arteries, varicose veins are accompanied by characteristic manifestations that allow to diagnose the disease in a timely manner and prevent its exacerbation. There are certain stages of varicose veins that are accompanied by certain symptoms and can lead to the possibility of neglecting the pathological process and identifying ongoing changes.
However, phlebologists today do not agree to isolate the stages of the disease, since the isolation of the manifestations and their characteristic course are not permanent: each case has the peculiarities of the manifestation and course of the disease in parallel with the body, the likelihood of lubrication is high.
Basic parameters for determining the stage of varicose veins
Stages of varicose veins are usually formed by considering certain manifestations that characterize the degree of neglect of the current pathological process, as well as their impact on the patient's body as a whole. Classification of the manifestation of this disease is the easiest method of determining the preliminary diagnosis and treatment scheme.
To determine the stage of this disease, several specific questions must be answered, which will allow you to understand the existing symptoms and with their help determine the degree of exacerbation of the process, which largely determines the treatment.
These issues include:
- The presence of characteristic manifestations of varicose veins and the degree of their manifestation;
- Location and severity of symptoms;
- The presence of external manifestations of changes in the condition of veins and large arteries;
- Identification of accompanying manifestations that worsen the patient's condition.
However, even without a detailed diagnosis by a phlebologist, it is possible to make a preliminary diagnosis during the external examination of the patient, which will make it possible to draw up a scheme of therapeutic effect and take into account individual specifics. The patient's body, the presence of ongoing comorbidities, and susceptibility to current exposure make some adjustments to the treatment. When diagnosing a patient's condition it is important to determine what kind of varicose veins occur, their location and the degree of neglect of the pathological process.
Most often, varicose veins affect the lower extremities, since this area of the human body receives the most significant load. At the same time, not everyone knows the load on the legs and does not protect them even in the presence of a number of manifestations that require more careful treatment of the limbs and veins. Therefore, in order to understand how the stages of varicose veins differ, it is necessary to get at least general ideas about the manifestations of this pathology, which are characterized by seriousness and great danger to the feet and human health, as a whole.
Specifics of classification of varicose veins
The stages of varicose veins may differ in the form and location of the pathological process taking place in the veins. This approach is most convenient for understanding the degree of neglect of the disease and also allows to determine the cause of the onset, which more quickly eliminates the current manifestations and characteristic symptoms of this condition.
The types of varicose veins vary according to several specific parameters. The use of certain classifications allows you to determine the belonging to an existing disease group, which facilitates further diagnosis and choice of treatment system. The modern classification according to the location of the main nodes of varicose veins is as follows:
- Varicose veins are located in the superficial layer of the skin and in the deep veins, while the external manifestations are characterized by segmentation - changes in the condition of the veins are observed only in a certain area of the veins.
- Varicose veins of the superficial and perforated veins, which are also observed in certain segments of the skin.
- Changes in the condition of veins in which varicose enlargement is diagnosed and abnormal changes in superficial veins in unexplained form, reflux.
- Varicose veins, marked in deep veins, development of reflux.
The presence of reflux indicates the presence of certain pathology, since with reflux the blood flows in the opposite direction. This phenomenon usually aggravates the pathological process of venous changes, stimulates the exacerbation of varicose veins, followed by covering a larger area of veins and arteries. All types of varicose veins can have signs of reflux, which is already a certain pathology and requires medical intervention.
Understanding the severity of the disease allows you to start treatment on time, since even the initial stage of the process, which has a relatively small number of external manifestations, is dangerous for the health of the feet. Grade 1 varicose veins may be virtually asymptomatic, but this does not mean that treatment for the disease is not necessary.
External examination of the affected veins with modified veins will allow the specialist to roughly determine the probable cause of this disease. However, in order to confirm the diagnosis, a full range of diagnostic procedures must be performed, which will allow to determine the degree of spread of the autological process, as well as to determine the therapeutic effect most sharply and for a long time - the last positive results. The classification will help to diagnose according to the external manifestations of the disease, as well as to determine the system of therapeutic effects.
Classification according to the degree of exacerbation
The method of classification generally accepted today should be considered as an option that divides the course of the disease into certain stages. Each of them has characteristic manifestations, with the onset of the next stage there is a greater degree of severity and severity of symptoms, a large spread of the affected area.
The classification of the disease, which is carried out according to the degree of neglect, is as follows:
- Early stage of varicose veins - In the initial stage of the pathological process there is a gradual accumulation of characteristic manifestations of the disease, which the patient does not always notice. This stage is often called latent: a person can write unpleasant sensations after elementary fatigue spent on the feet throughout the day, in the presence of some excess weight. If we add the listed factors to the period of childbearing, heredity (if there is even one close relative with existing varicose veins, we can safely assume a predisposition to the development of this disease) can for a long time ignore the abnormal changes in the lower vein.
- The first stage is already characterized by such manifestations as periodic numbness of the legs (especially with maintaining one position and standing position), pain in certain parts of the leg, feeling of tension in the legs and veins due to deterioration of blood circulation, veins dilate at the same time and their tension is strong. Externally, the first stage of the disease is manifested by visible veins and blood vessels in small areas, which may prevent the patient from pressing on such a place;
- Grade 2 varicose veins may have the following characteristic manifestations:
- The pain becomes more pronounced, increasing at the end of the day;
- Bruises and spots appear on the skin with altered veins and capillaries that can be seen with the naked eye.
- The degree of damage increases, which is manifested by an increase in the area of damage.
- Grade 3 varicose veins are less curable. All the characteristic symptoms are aggravated, the pain is aggravated and the affected area covers most of the leg. The condition and color of the skin of the feet changes: they acquire a darker shade, the skin becomes an unhealthy structure, more and more resembling dead skin. At this stage, varicose veins almost always require surgical intervention, as there is a large thrombus development and separation from the vascular wall, which can block the vessel lumen and lead to serious consequences in the form of risk of limb amputation. The third stage is the most dangerous due to the high probability of accompanying negative manifestations during treatment.
In the second degree of this pathological process there is a strong heaviness in the legs, a feeling of swelling of the veins and skin, e. g. წ. Goose bumps on the legs and popliteal region can be detected that are not related to external factors. . Grade 2 varicose veins are still being treated; In later stages, the process of disease exacerbation proceeds at an increasingly rapid pace and affects more and more areas of the lower extremities, while the treatment process is complex and does not always yield positive results;
There are also capillary varicose veins in which small blood vessels receive load, the quality of blood circulation gradually deteriorates, with characteristic signs of increased limb fatigue, swelling of the affected tissues, and discoloration. Skin damage at the site of injury.
Varicose veins have stages that gradually become more complicated, and the method of treatment is determined by both the localization of the lesion site and the subjective manifestations of the disease. Anyone who has noticed at least one of the signs of this severe disease should remember that the probability of the disease progressing to a deep stage in a short period of time and a significant deterioration in the health of the lower extremities is high. Also, in the absence of the necessary treatment, the patient may become disabled - as medical statistics have shown, it takes, on average, about 11 years from the moment of the first characteristic manifestation of the disease.
Why is treatment needed?
Varicose veins of the lower extremities, or VBNK, accompanied by a gradual deterioration of blood circulation, manifesting more and more profound symptoms, require immediate medical attention. In the detection of varicose veins of the lower extremities, a more detailed diagnosis of the veins and blood vessels is made, the degree of neglect of the process is determined.
Lower extremity disease requires treatment due to the rapid exacerbation of the ongoing pathological process, which affects more and more areas. The probability of disability is high, especially in old age, when there is a general inhibition of the basic functions of the body and a decrease in the degree of resistance to the disease. In the presence of concomitant injuries, the treatment of varicose veins in the legs is even more difficult.
Since the disease is characterized by different types (or stages) that differ in the degree of exacerbation of the pathological process, treatment should be carried out according to the results of the diagnosis, as well as taking into account individual characteristics. Organism