Perhaps, every person has heard of such a thing as vegetovascular dystonia. This is due to the fact that the violation is very common, and according to statistics, about 80% of the entire population of the planet and about 30% of children suffer from it. Due to the fact that women are more emotional than men, they experience this disease three times more often.
Such a pathology is detected, as a rule, in childhood, and the peak of symptoms occurs at 25-40 years. And this is the most able-bodied and active age, when the normal rhythm of life is disrupted, professional activities become difficult, and family relationships suffer.
What is vegetovascular dystonia according to ICD-10, a disease or a feature of the functioning of the nervous system? This issue has long been controversial. At first, researchers defined it as a disease, but as they observed people suffering from VSD, it became clear that this is a certain functional disorder,which affects the psyche and vegetatics. Symptoms of vegetovascular dystonia in women are more common.
However, such functional disorders and subjective unpleasant experiences force a person to change their lifestyle and require qualified assistance. Over time, they can develop into such dangerous ailments as coronary heart disease, stomach ulcers, hypertension, and even diabetes. So, what is it in simple words - vegetovascular dystonia?
Causes of disease development
The sympathetic and parasympathetic departments, which are part of the autonomic nervous system, regulate the functions of internal organs, control the constancy of the internal environment, body temperature, blood pressure, pulse, digestive processes, etc. The body's response to various external stimuli, its adaptation to constantly changing conditions, as well as to stress, physical and mental overload.
The vegetative system works independently and autonomously, not subject to human consciousness. Sympathetic functions determine such changes as increased pressure and pulse, dilated pupils, and metabolic processes. In turn, the parasympathetic are responsible for lowering pressure, bradycardia, secretion of digestive juices and smooth muscle tone. Almost always, these departments of the autonomic system have an antagonistic (opposite) effect, and under some life circumstances, the influence of one of them may prevail.
With vegetative dystonia in women and men appeara variety of symptoms that do not fit into the picture of any of the known diseases of the heart, lungs or stomach. With VSD, as a rule, organic lesions of certain organs are not determined, and a person’s attempts to find a disease in one of them do not bring the expected results.
The occurrence of vegetovascular dystonia is closely related to the emotional state and mental characteristics, and therefore it is accompanied by various manifestations of a mental nature. It is difficult to convince a patient that he does not have any pathologies, and a psychotherapist can provide effective assistance in this case.
The causes of vegetative dystonia in children are diverse and sometimes hidden at an early age, and sometimes even at the stage of intrauterine development. Among them, the following dysfunctions and pathologies are of great importance:
- intrauterine hypoxia, difficult childbirth, early infection;
- frequent stress, neurosis, high physical overload;
- traumatic brain injury, neuroinfection;
- hormonal disruptions during pregnancy and adolescence;
- hereditary factors and individual characteristics of the body;
- presence of chronic pathologies of internal organs.
The difficult course of pregnancy and childbirth in the mother, infections in childhood contribute to the development of signs of dystonia in adolescents and children. Toddlers tend to be restless and cranky, spit up frequently, suffer from diarrhea or constipation, and are prone to frequent colds.
In adults, among the factors provoking the occurrence of VVD, stress and strong emotional and physical overload are in the first place. Poor he alth in childhood and the presence of chronic pathologies can also become reasons for the development of vegetovascular dystonia in the future.
In adolescents, such dysfunction of the nervous system is often associated with active growth, when the autonomic system does not have time to develop as rapidly as physiology. For this reason, the young organism is not able to properly adapt to such an imbalance. There are symptoms of adaptation dysfunction, both psychological and physical, which can manifest as palpitations, hypotension, shortness of breath, etc.
An important role is played by hereditary factors. It is known that personality traits, the type of behavior in stressful situations and the nature of a person often inherit from their parents. When there are people in the family who suffer from autonomic dysfunctions, as well as diabetes, peptic ulcer and hypertension associated with them, then in such situations the likelihood of pathology in the offspring is high.
Consider the symptoms of vegetovascular dystonia in women and men.
Symptoms
Signs of VVD are extremely diverse and can affect the functioning of different organs and systems of the body. For this reason, patients, in the hope of a specific diagnosis, undergo all kinds of examinations and visit specialists. As a rule, by the time of diagnosis, people have an impressivea list of diagnostic measures taken and they themselves are sure that they have a serious pathology. Symptoms of vegetovascular dystonia are very diverse.
Depending on the presence of certain manifestations, there are several types of IRR:
- sympathicotonic,
- parasympathicotonic,
- mixed.
The severity of the symptoms of such dysfunction determines the course of the pathology: mild, severe or moderate. And the prevalence of VVD symptoms allows us to distinguish generalized and local forms, when many systems or one of them suffer from a violation. According to the type of flow, dystonia is latent, variable and constant.
The main symptoms of vegetative dystonia are:
- pain in the heart (cardialgia),
- arrhythmia,
- breathing disorders,
- vegetative disorders,
- changes in vascular tone,
- neuroses and severe psychological conditions.
Cardiac syndrome in dystonia, which occurs, as a rule, in 9 out of 10 patients, is a feeling of rapid heartbeat or heart failure, chest pain, heart rhythm interruptions. Patients do not adapt well to stress and note constant weakness and chronic fatigue. Cardialgias are nagging, burning, long-term or short-term, and cardiac arrhythmias can be either in the direction of increased or decreased heart rate (tachycardia or bradycardia). Examination of the heart, as a rule, does not show anystructural or organic disorders.
Vegetovascular dystonia according to ICD-10 is not yet distinguished as an independent pathology. The disease, which proceeds according to the hypertensive type, can be manifested by high blood pressure, which most often does not exceed the upper limit of normal. Real hypertensive crises in vegetovascular dystonia are extremely rare and are most likely associated with other chronic diseases. Against the background of changes in pressure, headache, weakness, and palpitations may occur.
VSD of the hypotonic form is associated with increased activity of the parasympathetic division. In such cases, patients are prone to apathy, drowsiness, weakness and fatigue. They often faint, and among them there are often asthenics and thin people, they are very pale and always cold. Their blood pressure is usually low.
With all types of VVD, headaches, constant fatigue, stool disorders in the form of diarrhea or constipation, shortness of breath, a feeling of a "lump" in the throat and respiratory disorders may occur. Cerebral dystonia may be accompanied by dizziness, fainting and tinnitus.
The body temperature can rise and fall spontaneously for no reason. In this case, the characteristic symptoms are sweating, redness of the face, trembling, a feeling of heat or chilliness. Patients with VVD are weather-sensitive, poorly adapted to stress and stressful situations.
Psycho-emotional state requires special attention,which usually suffers from various types of autonomic dysfunctions. At the same time, patients are apathetic or, conversely, too active, irritable and shy. Frequent attacks of panic attacks, various phobias, suspiciousness, depression are possible. In severe cases, there are suicidal tendencies, hypochondria with increased attention to any sign of disease.
Symptoms and treatment of vascular dystonia are interrelated.
Other manifestations of VVD
VSD is most often observed in women, as they are more emotional than men and tend to worry about various reasons. Such women experience stress during pregnancy and subsequent child rearing. Symptoms may worsen during menopause, when hormonal changes begin to occur in the body.
Symptoms of autonomic dysfunctions are different and can affect many organs, and the patient experiences this condition very hard. Along with imaginary illnesses, the emotional background sometimes changes. Tearfulness and irritability disrupt social adaptation in such people. They often stop communicating, relationships in the family deteriorate, their lifestyle gradually becomes closed. Many patients prefer solitude, which not only does not improve their condition, but, on the contrary, contributes to an even greater concentration on subjective feelings.
Except for functional disorders, there are no other disturbances in the work of internal organs. However, the prolonged course of VSD can lead to some diseases, such as coronary heart disease,diabetes mellitus, hypertension, colitis or stomach ulcers. In these cases, in addition to the normalization of the emotional background, a more in-depth treatment of such a pathology is required.
Diagnosis
Since there are no clear diagnostic criteria and a list of specific symptoms of VVD, diagnostic measures in this case are aimed at excluding other pathologies. The variety of manifestations of this condition pushes people to frequent visits to doctors, who, as a rule, do not find abnormalities in the work of their internal organs.
Patients with signs of VVD should visit a neurologist, cardiologist, endocrinologist and, most importantly, a psychotherapist. Specialists ask the patient about the presence of cases of VVD among relatives, about the presence of peptic ulcer, diabetes, hypertension and neurosis. It is extremely important to find out how the pregnancy and childbirth proceeded in the patient's mother, what diseases the patient suffered in childhood, since the causes of VVD can be hidden during these periods.
Among diagnostic studies, it is customary to conduct laboratory blood and urine tests, functional tests to study the activity of the autonomic system, electroencephalography, ECG. How is the treatment for symptoms of vegetovascular dystonia carried out?
Treatment of autonomic dysfunctions
When the diagnosis of a specialist is beyond doubt, and other chronic and acute diseases are excluded, he decides on treatment. Such therapy directly depends on the symptomatology of the disorder, its severity, and also on how much the person’s vital activity is impaired. Previously, patients with VVD were observed and treated by a neurologist. But today it is believed that a specialist psychotherapist should deal with such patients, since VVD is, first of all, a problem of a psychogenic nature.
General activities are of primary importance in therapy. However, most patients expect that they will be prescribed medications that will immediately relieve them of all the symptoms of the disease. But this does not happen, because for the successful treatment of pathology, the desire of the patient himself, his desire to normalize his lifestyle and well-being.
General activities
They include:
- leading the right lifestyle,
- diet,
- physical activity,
- reducing the frequency of nervous overload,
- physiotherapy and hydrotherapy.
A he althy lifestyle in the treatment of vegetative dystonia in women is the basis for the proper functioning of the autonomic system. With such a dysfunction, bad habits should be excluded, the regime of rest and work should be normalized, and with extremely pronounced manifestations of dystonia, a change in work activity may sometimes be required. You need to learn how to relax properly - walking in the fresh air will be the best solution.
The diet should not contain a large amount of s alt and liquid, especially in the hypertensive variety of VVD. It is also necessary to give up too strong coffee, fatty and spicy foods. With hypotonic VSD, seafood, tea and fruits are indicated. Considering thatthe fact that the majority of patients experience digestive disorders and suffer from diarrhea and constipation, food should be of high quality and light - cereals, lean meat, legumes, vegetables and fruits, sour-milk products.
We reviewed the symptoms and treatment of vegetative dystonia in women.
Physical activity in VSD
This factor is very important, because it allows you to normalize the tone of the departments of the autonomic system. In this regard, patients are shown regular exercise, exercise therapy and walking. Various types of water procedures are very useful: bath, contrast shower, dousing with cold water, visiting the pool. Water allows you to strengthen muscles, relieve stress, and the temperature regime of water procedures also strengthens blood vessels and normalizes their elasticity, which is very important for VVD.
Patients should protect themselves as much as possible from various physical and emotional overloads - excessive fatigue after a working day, lack of sleep, etc. TV and computer are strong irritants, so it is better to use them only when necessary, especially when it comes to VSD in childhood. The most useful will be communication, trips to exhibitions or to the park. You can also work out in the gym, but you should exclude strength exercises, weight lifting. It is better to prefer yoga, gymnastics, dancing and swimming.
Physiotherapy is also very good at helping to improve the patient's condition. Shown in this case are acupuncture, relaxing massages, magnetotherapy,electrophoresis.
Patients with VVD are recommended sanatorium treatment, but you should not choose institutions with a cardiological profile. An ordinary sanatorium or a vacation by the sea is enough. Treatment of vegetovascular dystonia is also carried out with the help of drugs.
Medication for IRR
The direction of drug therapy is determined by the specific symptoms in each specific case. The main group of drugs includes sedatives. These include the following:
- phytopreparations - tinctures of valerian, motherwort, hawthorn, peony, peppermint, Novo-Passit, etc.;
- antidepressants - Cipralex, Paroxetine, Reksetin, Amitriptyline, etc.;
- tranquilizers - Seduxen, Tazepam, Grandaxin, etc.
In some cases, nootropics such as Piracetam and Omaron, vascular preparations - Cinnarizine, Actovegin, and psychotropics - Grandaxin, Sonapax can be prescribed. With hypotonic forms of VVD, the use of adaptogens and some tonic phytochemicals - tinctures of Eleutherococcus, ginseng, "Pantokrin" helps well.
As a rule, the treatment of vegetative-vascular dystonia should begin with "softer" natural herbal preparations, but if there is no effect, light tranquilizers or antidepressants should be added to them. With severe manifestations of anxiety, panic attacks and neurosis-like disorders, medication is no longer enough.
Symptomatic therapy should be aimed at reducing disorders fromof cardio-vascular system. With a rapid heartbeat and increased pressure, as a rule, drugs that reduce blood pressure are prescribed - Anaprilin and other drugs belonging to the group of beta-blockers - Atenolol, Egilok, as well as ACE inhibitors. Cardiac disorders are usually relieved by taking some sedative drugs - Seduxen, Corvalol, Valocordin.
Bradycardia, characterized by a decrease in heart rate to 50 per minute, requires the use of the following drugs - Atropine and belladonna preparations. Cool tonic showers or baths and exercise are also helpful.
Consider the symptoms and treatment of vegetovascular dystonia in men.
Manifestations in men
All signs of VSD in adult men are the result of an imbalance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic parts of the autonomic nervous system. Depending on the prevailing influence, two types of action of dystonia on smooth muscle tissue are distinguished: hypotonicity and hypertonicity.
Signs of a sympathoadrenal crisis:
- increase heart rate to 140 beats and above;
- increased pressure to 170/100 or more mm Hg. Art.;
- appearance of compensatory shortness of breath;
- cold sweat;
- dizziness and weakness;
- trembling limbs, feeling of muscle weakness.
Respiratory distress is often found in vegetovascular dystonia in men in combination with other clinical syndromes. Main featurerespiratory disorders - inability to take a deep breath or exhale.
Respiratory disorder is distinguished from bronchial asthma, in which the main clinical sign is difficult prolonged exhalation and a decrease in the volume of exhaled air.
For the treatment of symptoms of vegetative dystonia in men, antidepressants and tranquilizers are used.
Depending on the type of clinical syndrome, the duration of the course of therapy is set. Antidepressants are used for at least one year. But long-term use of tranquilizers is prescribed with caution, as addiction quickly develops to them.
Treatment of VSD with folk remedies
Such therapeutic interventions can be quite effective, since many herbs have a sedative effect. In this case, valerian, motherwort, mint, lemon balm and many other plants are used. Herbs are sold in a pharmacy, and they should be prepared according to the method described in the instructions. You can simply brew ready-made bags in water. Phytotherapy helps to successfully fight VSD, especially when combined with certain medications.
It should be noted that the prescription of the above remedies for heart pathologies does not yet indicate their presence, since in most cases problems with heartbeat and increased pressure are directly functional.
Psychotropic drugs also deserve special attention. They are mainly prescribed to balancethe emotional state of the patient, eliminate the signs of depression that occurs against the background of the onset of VVD symptoms. For this reason, drugs are used only in cases of severe neuropsychiatric disorders, when such conditions cannot be removed by natural herbal remedies.
Classes with the use of various methods of influencing the human psyche are also useful. In the presence of phobias, panic attacks, aggression or apathy, as well as obsessive desires to find a terrible illness in oneself, a psychiatrist or psychotherapist helps to find out the cause of such dysfunctions, which can be hidden even at the stage of early childhood, in family relationships or once suffered nervous shocks. By understanding the cause of such experiences, many patients find a way to successfully deal with them.
It is necessary to treat VVD comprehensively, with the participation of the patient himself. You should choose individual schemes and drugs. The patient, in turn, must understand that the symptoms of diseases of the internal organs are directly related to the characteristics of the psyche and lifestyle. Getting rid of vegetovascular dystonia can be difficult.
With the correct correction of the symptoms of autonomic nervous disorders, the prognosis is very favorable, and the patient's he alth, as a rule, quickly improves, the normal rhythm of life, social and labor activity is restored. Patients should be under the supervision of a specialist, and courses of treatment can also be carried out for prevention purposes, especially in autumn and spring, when evenin people with a normal psyche, its functional disorders occur and there is an increase in anxiety.
