Varicose veins are characterized by uneven extension of the lumen of the leg veins, the appearance of nodules in them and an increase in their length. The disease develops gradually, characterized by a chronic course.
Women suffer from varicose veins three times more often than men. And among the representatives of the stronger sex, people who love sports with the maximum load distribution on their feet are prone to this disease: football, tennis, basketball.
Why varicose veins occur
There are three types of veins in the tissues of the legs: superficial, deep, connected 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 to push the blood up. This work is performed by the skeletal muscles of the legs. And the valves are inside the veins - they close their valves at the time of skeletal muscle contraction, preventing blood flow. Each muscle contraction "pushes" the blood higher.
When the valve flaps do not close tightly, some of the blood flows back, stops in the vein, presses against its walls, gradually stretching. The lumen of the vein extends, its wall stretches. This is the beginning of varicose veins.
Disease activating factors:
- Heredity - with a congenital lack of collagen fibers, the vein wall is less elastic and prone to stretching.
- Stagnation of blood in the veins of the legs with excessive weight and obesity, wearing shoes with heels over 3-4 cm, with a prolonged posture in a part of people of certain professions - hairdressers and salesmen, cooks, lecturers or with a prolonged meeting with office workers. Changes in hormonal levels: the increased content of progesterone in the blood of a pregnant woman makes the walls soft and expandable, so the risk of varicose veins during pregnancy increases dramatically.
The first signs of varicose veins - how not to miss
The moment spider veins or spider veins - reticular veins - appear on the skin of the feet, they are considered to be an alarm signal for the onset of varicose veins. This is not a cosmetic defect, but the beginning of the disease!
At the same time or after a while, the second group of points joins - a feeling of heaviness in the legs, spreads to the legs after a long stand or sitting in a chair. When a person begins to walk, the feeling of heaviness decreases: the skeletal muscles push the stagnant blood higher and the tension of the venous walls decreases.
Further development of the disease is manifested by swelling of the legs - these are marks from socks, thickening of one leg relative to the other during the visual examination.
Later, pain in the muscles of the legs, rapid fatigue when walking, joins the dry skin of the feet and its pigmentation, the protrusion of varicose veins and the formation of food ulcers.
When to see a vascular surgeon?
When the first veins and asterisks appear, you should consult a specialist and, if necessary, have an ultrasound examination of the veins of the lower extremities and have varicose vein surgery. The earlier the varicose veins are diagnosed, the more likely it is to stop at an early stage.