Today, many are wondering if their legs are blue, what does it mean.
The medical term for a pathological condition when a person has blue legs is cyanosis. This phenomenon in most cases is usually caused by a lack of oxygen in the blood. Sometimes the cyanotic color of the legs is accompanied by swelling, in this case, some diseases, including deep vein thrombosis, may also be factors in the occurrence of the phenomenon.
Causes of blue lower extremities
The main causes of blue legs are quite serious and require urgent medical attention. However, some factors in the development of this pathological condition are not so serious and can be eliminated using a variety of home remedies.
One of the most common and least serious contributors to blue feet is low ambient temperature. If the legs turn blue when a person is cold, the reason for thisphenomenon most often is the development of Raynaud's disease. It is a serious medical problem that often occurs in smokers when the extremities turn first pathologically white and then blue, especially when exposed to cold temperatures.
The reason for this lies in the properties of blood circulation. When a person freezes, blood begins to flow more intensively to the vital organs in order to keep them warm. At the same time, there is a decrease in blood circulation in the limbs. If a person notices that their legs turn blue at low temperatures, they should try to warm up slowly.
Most causes of blue legs are serious enough to require professional help.
According to the Center for Disease Control, more than 33,000 deaths a year are caused by accidental poisoning. And one of the most common symptoms of poisoning is blue legs. In particular, cyanosis develops due to cyanide poisoning. Cyanide affects the process of interaction of the body with oxygen, provoking the development of blue extremities.
Congenital heart disease
Some babies experience severe oxygen starvation at birth, sometimes babies are born with blue skin. The common name for this pathological phenomenon is "blue baby syndrome". A completely blue body or only the legs can be caused by a condition known as cyanotic heart disease. Other cardiac pathologies are associated with cyanosis in adulthood.
Some heart defectsof a congenital nature indicate that the right sections of the heart flows are directed to the left side, not reaching the lungs, in order to receive a larger volume of oxygen. As a result, the skin turns blue.
Congenital heart defects occur at birth and require professional care.
What else can the situation say when the legs turn blue?
Atherosclerosis
A condition that also provokes blue legs is atherosclerosis, which is characterized by the formation of cholesterol and calcium plaques in the lumen of blood vessels, which impedes blood flow. As studies in Munich in 2008 showed, thickening and hardening of the arteries leads to less oxygen supply to the legs, as a result of which the patient's toes turn blue first, and then the general blue of the extremities develops.
Atherosclerosis is treated with diet, exercise and specialized drugs.
Asthma
Asthma can cause a situation in which the legs are swollen and blue. This disease limits the flow of oxygen to the lungs, and an acute lack of oxygen in many cases causes a bluish tint to the skin. Asthma can develop against the background of allergies, many heart ailments, etc. Why do legs turn blue with asthma? The answer to this question is that with a lack of oxygen, the blood ceases to fully flow into the remote tissues of the body, and cyanosis is observed precisely in the area of \u200b\u200bthe extremities, most often the lower ones.
Emphysema
According to multiple statistical and clinical studies, emphysema is the fourth leading cause of patient death in the United States, and is predominantly related to smoking. As with the development of asthma, lack of oxygen is what causes the skin of the extremities to turn blue. If wheezing in the lungs and expectoration of blood or mucus are observed, and at the same time the legs become bluish, then this may be emphysema, which is a disease of the respiratory organs, characterized by the expansion of air spaces in the distal bronchioles. People suffering from this pathological phenomenon are treated with oxygen and medications.
What does it mean when big toes turn blue?
Deep vein thrombosis
This is a condition in which blood clots (blood clots) form in the veins, preventing normal blood flow. In medical practice, thrombosis of the veins of the legs is more common than venous thrombosis of other localizations.
Thrombi can form not only in the deep veins, but also in the saphenous veins, but this type of thrombosis rarely causes serious problems. Unlike a pathology such as thrombophlebitis, deep vein thrombosis requires emergency care, as it is associated with the risk of developing extremely life-threatening complications, such as advancing a blood clot to the heart.
Several factors are needed to develop this disease:
- damagethe inner layer of the venous wall due to exposure to a chemical, mechanical, infectious or allergic agent;
- changes in the blood coagulation system;
- slow blood flow.
Under certain circumstances, the density of the blood increases dramatically. If there are obstacles on the walls of the vein for its normal progression, the likelihood of blood clots increases. A small blood clot that forms on the venous wall causes inflammation and damage to the wall, which leads to the development of other blood clots.
The occurrence of such a phenomenon as deep vein thrombosis contributes to congestion in the veins of the legs. The reason for this stagnation is a sedentary lifestyle for a long time.
Other triggers for deep thrombosis are:
- injuries;
- surgery;
- physical strain;
- infectious pathologies;
- prolonged immobility after surgery, therapeutic and neurological diseases;
- postpartum;
- taking hormonal oral contraceptives;
- formation of malignant tumors;
- DIC.
The risk of this disease increases with prolonged immobility with lowered legs. As a result, congestion develops in the lower extremities, which leads to deep vein thrombosis.
The first thing that happens whenthe occurrence of this pathology, the legs or one limb become very blue. If the patient suddenly notices that his leg is swollen and his fingers or the entire skin of the limb are blue, it is urgent to contact the clinic. These symptoms are clear signs of deep vein thrombosis in the leg.
What does it mean if the leg turns blue and hurts?
Buerger's disease
Buerger's disease is thromboangiitis obliterans - a narrowing of vessels of medium and small sizes in the lower extremities due to a certain inflammatory process. In some cases, pathology can manifest itself in the coronary, visceral and cerebral arteries. It is traditionally believed that this pathology affects mainly smoking men from 20-40 years old. However, in recent years, cases of the development of the disease in women have become more frequent, due to the spread of smoking among them.
Despite the assumptions of clinicians, the etiology of the disease has not been fully elucidated: there are indications regarding the impact on the body of patients of hereditary factors and the presence of antibodies against laminin, elastin and collagens. The main symptom of the pathology is cyanosis of the legs, their swelling and soreness.
It happens that the big toe turns blue. What does that say?
Diabetes
Diabetes is a very common cause of blue legs. People who suffer from type 2 diabetes are several times more likely to observe blue extremities in themselves, which is due to their cardiovascular disorders caused by the maindisease. Diabetes can contribute to narrowing of the blood vessels with elevated blood sugar levels. Therefore, impaired circulation can lead to blue legs.
What to do with this pathology?
Treatment methods
Therapeutic techniques to eliminate the blue tint of the legs are aimed at treating the underlying disease that provoked this pathological phenomenon. Therapy in each case proceeds differently. If blue legs are observed with insufficient blood supply, blood-thinning medications and rubbing are prescribed. Atherosclerosis is treated with drugs that act to dissolve atherosclerotic plaques in the vessels.
And if the toes turn blue, what should I do?
If a person has cyanosis of the legs due to thrombosis, surgery is prescribed to immobilize the thrombus and numerous drugs that prevent blood density. If diabetes mellitus became the cause of the blue color of the legs, a whole range of therapeutic measures is needed - normalization of blood sugar levels, blood thinning, and prevention of vascular blockage processes.
