In a person who smokes for many years, over time, under the influence of nicotine, the blood vessels narrow, so blood flows slowly to the lower extremities. Moreover, this substance causes erythrocytes to stick together, which leads to the appearance of blood clots in the vessels that block the blood flow, the cells do not receive proper nutrition and die. Over time, the entire organ begins to die, gangrene forms, so the diseased limb is amputated. Such a disease in medicine is usually called obliterating endarteritis, and in the people it is called "smoker's legs" or "tobacco gangrene". Thus, due to the great passion for smoking, a person becomes disabled.
Description
Enarteritis is considered to be a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the arteries and leads to circulatory disorders, andin the future - to the closure of the lumen and gangrene of the lower extremities. So, the legs of a smoker do not receive proper oxygen carried by the blood, tissues are gradually affected, this entails necrosis of a part of the body. Most often, middle-aged men who smoke constantly suffer from this disease.
Reasons
Currently, the exact causes that lead to the development of the disease are unknown. It is generally accepted that the disease of a smoker, in which the legs are most often affected, appears as a result of the production of antibodies in the body, which have a detrimental effect on the walls of blood vessels. Over time, they begin to become inflamed, connective tissue appears, which narrows the gaps in the vessels. Why these antibodies are produced in the body, doctors cannot give an exact answer. According to other theories, the disease can occur with allergic reactions to nicotine, atherosclerosis, infections and blood clotting disorders. It is only known for certain that, first of all, smokers suffer from this disease.
Symptoms
Obliterating endarteritis, or "smoker's legs", the symptoms are as follows:
- Heaviness in the lower limbs while walking, their rapid fatigue.
- Feeling cold in the limbs, swelling and numbness.
- Paleness of the skin, deformation of the nails.
- Formation of ulcers, necrosis and gangrene.
- No pulse in legs.
- The appearance of convulsions during movement and at rest.
- Intermittent claudication, which is the main symptom of the disease underthe name "smoker's legs", the photo of which is attached.
Stages of disease
Obliterating endarteritis develops gradually and cyclically. It is customary to distinguish the following stages of the development of the disease:
- The initial stage is characterized by a slight narrowing of the lumen of the vessels, blood circulation is not disturbed. Symptoms of the disease do not appear, so it is very difficult to make a diagnosis at this stage.
- The ischemic stage is caused by a deterioration in blood circulation, intermittent claudication develops, the smoker's legs get tired quickly and are almost always cold. Diagnosis at this stage makes it possible to cure the disease.
- The trophic stage is characterized by a violation of the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the tissues. Hair falls out on the lower extremities, nails are deformed, the skin turns blue, the pulse is hard to hear. This stage is a sign of a disease that has been launched.
- The ulcer-necrotic stage is characterized by the appearance of convulsions, lack of pulse in the legs, constant pain, inability to move, muscle atrophy, a huge number of ulcers and tissue necrosis. At this stage, the "smoker's foot" disease is difficult to cure, since it is almost impossible to stop the destructive processes.
- Gangrene occurs when necrosis and ulcers are left untreated. It is dry and wet. In the first case, the feet and fingers turn black and die. In the second case, the smoker's legs (the photo and description of the disease are not very pleasant) begin to swell, release toxins that poison the entire body.organism. To prevent blood poisoning and human death, the limbs are amputated.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is best done in the early stages of the disease. This must be done immediately, since the further fate of a person depends on timely treatment. To make a final diagnosis, it is necessary to conduct the following studies:
- Tests for fungal, infectious and viral diseases.
- Ultrasound is performed to assess the condition of limb tissues.
- Rheovasography is needed to assess the speed of blood movement.
- Thermography, which determines the presence of abnormalities in the tissues of the lower extremities.
- Capillaroscopy, which examines the condition of capillaries, blood microcirculation in the extremities.
- Angiography is performed to assess the state of blood vessels, blood flow, the magnitude of the inflammatory process.
Differential Diagnosis
Such a diagnosis is necessary to exclude diseases that have similar symptoms, such as atherosclerosis. Both of these ailments are almost the same, but atherosclerosis is inherent in people who are over fifty years old, it develops symmetrically and affects large vessels, unlike endarteritis.
Treatment
Smoker's foot disease treatment requires immediate treatment. But it is impossible to cure this pathology completely, you can only slow down its development. First of all, the patient needs to give up smoking and alcohol, correctlyeat and move a lot. The doctor prescribes medications, physiotherapy to patients, alternative methods of treatment can also be used. In the later stages of the disease, surgical intervention is necessary. Anti-spasmodic and antihistamines, vitamins, drugs that thin the blood, anticoagulants are prescribed from medicines. Baromassage, thermal procedures, electrophoresis, magnetotherapy are prescribed.
So, the disease "smoker's feet" treatment involves a complex, if all this does not work, they resort to surgical intervention. This is done by shunting or removing an artery and replacing it with a prosthesis. In some cases, a thrombus is removed that blocks the lumen of the artery. In the most severe cases, amputation of the legs is performed. This is used when there is a threat to the life of the patient. Obliterating endarteritis is a very serious pathology, so self-medication is contraindicated here. The whole complex of measures should be carried out under the strict supervision of a physician. Treatment must be carried out without fail, otherwise there is a threat to the life of the patient.
"Smoker's feet": treatment of folk remedies
Folk methods of treatment are used only in the initial stages of the development of the disease in combination with medication and physiotherapy. For this, herbal preparations are used, which strengthen and restore the walls of arteries, cleanse them and relieve inflammation. Chamomile flowers, yarrow, corn stigmas, birch buds and St. John's wort are well suited for this purpose. Theseall herbs are taken in equal proportions, put in a container and poured with boiling water (half a liter), set aside for one hour. The tincture is taken half an hour before meals, twice a day. It helps to cleanse the blood vessels, increase their tone. Use the remedy in courses with breaks of one month. Fruit picks help a lot. To do this, take one orange and one lemon each, grind them with a blender, add one spoonful of honey and mix. The mixture is consumed in three tablespoons before meals. Store the folk remedy in the cold.
Prevention
In order for the disease not to develop, it is necessary to stop smoking in the first place. It is also recommended to keep your feet warm, preventing them from hypothermia, monitor your diet by removing s alty, fatty and spicy dishes from the menu. It is necessary to monitor your weight, as extra pounds put a strain on your legs. To do this, you can engage in physical activity, sports (running, swimming), walk for a long time on foot. Feet should be protected from damage and injury, shoes should not cause discomfort. It is also very important to follow the rules of hygiene, daily caring for the feet, monitor the level of cholesterol in the blood. All these preventive measures will help reduce the risk of developing pathology. For those who have already been diagnosed with the disease, the above recommendations will help maintain good he alth for a long period of time.
Forecast
The prognosis of the disease depends on howthe patient will be vigilant, since timely treatment makes it possible to get rid of the disease completely. Complications always end with the amputation of one or both legs, followed by the use of prostheses. If necrotic areas, black spots are observed on the limbs, then it is no longer possible to prevent the disease process. Therefore, it is recommended not to start the disease, but to treat it in a timely manner in order to preserve your he alth and life. When a person notices the presence of pathology in a timely manner, the prognosis will be favorable, since in the early stages of endarteritis they do without surgical intervention.
Thus, obliterating endarteritis is a serious pathology that poses a threat to the life and he alth of the patient. Since the main factor in its development is smoking, it is necessary to abandon this habit. Tobacco smoke contains more than four thousand substances that have a destructive effect on the cells that are on the walls of blood vessels, therefore, conditions are created for the development of such a pathology, which is popularly called "smoker's legs". For example, carbon monoxide promotes the formation of carboxyhemoglobin in the blood, which displaces hemoglobin, as a result of which the tissues do not receive enough oxygen and die. Nicotine can increase the viscosity of the blood, forming blood clots in the vessels. All this contributes to the defeat of the lower extremities with an ailment that cannot be cured in the later stages.
