Varicose veins are characterized by uneven dilation of the lumen of the leg veins, the appearance of joints above 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 appear
There are three types of veins in the leg tissues: superficial, deep veins, connecting superficial and deep veins. Each vein is an empty tube through which blood flows from the leg tissues to the heart. There are no muscle cells in the walls of the veins, so the vein cannot contract to push blood up. This task is performed by the skeletal muscles of the legs. And the valves are located inside the veins - they close their valves at the time of skeletal muscle contraction, preventing blood flow. Any muscle contraction "pushes" the blood upwards.
When the valve flaps do not close tightly, some of the blood flows back, gets stuck in the vein, presses against its walls, gradually stretching them. The lumen of the vein widens, its wall extends. 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 clots in the veins of overweight and obese feet, wearing shoes with heels of more than 3-4 centimeters, with prolonged stay in a place of people with certain professions - hairdressers and salesmen, cooks, lecturers, or with prolonged reductions in office workers. Changes in hormonal levels: The increased content of progesterone in a pregnant woman's blood 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 when spider veins or spider veins - veins with reticular varicose veins appear on the skin of the feet, is considered to be an alarm signal of initial varicose veins. This is not a cosmetic defect, but the onset of the disease!
Simultaneously or after a while, the second set of signs joins - a heavy feeling in the legs, spreading to the legs after a long stay 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 extension of the vein walls decreases.
Further development of the disease is manifested by edema of the foot - these are signs from socks, thickening of one foot compared to the other during visual examination.
Later, pain in the calf muscles of the legs, rapid fatigue when walking, joins the dry skin of the feet and its pigmentation, the appearance of varicose veins and the formation of trophic ulcers.
When do you see a vascular surgeon?
When the first spider veins and stars appear, you should consult a specialist and, if necessary, perform an ultrasound examination of the veins of the lower extremities and perform varicose vein surgery. The earlier the diagnosis of varicose veins is made, the more likely it is to stop at an early stage.