Statistics show that currently every fourth person on Earth suffers from a disease such as varicose veins. However, not everyone understands the danger of varicose veins in the lower extremities. In order to accurately understand this, and also to understand what the danger of the disease is, it is necessary to understand what varicose veins are in general, what causes contribute to its appearance.
What are varicose veins
Many people mistakenly think that varicose veins are some kind of harmless disease that creates only a cosmetic defect on the legs, while not threatening human life and he alth. But this is absolutely not true. Varicose veins are considered a dangerous disease that is constantly progressing. This disease is a process in which the patient's blood pressure increases in relation to the walls of the veins. They, in turn, lostelasticity and weakened, unable to withstand the full load, starting to expand.
If timely treatment is absent, then varicose veins are fraught with many unpleasant consequences. Speaking about the dangers of varicose veins, it should be noted that some of the consequences of this disease are dangerous even for the life of the patient, as they can lead to sudden death.
Causes of disease development
There are many reasons that contribute to the occurrence of varicose veins. And before you understand why varicose veins are dangerous, you should study these reasons:
- First of all, heredity should be included here. Unfortunately, the risk of developing the disease almost doubles if at least one of the parents had varicose veins.
- A lot of walking or just standing in one place for a long time can trigger the development of this disease.
- The most prone to varicose veins are considered to be representatives of professions who work most of their time standing on their feet. This includes surgeons, teachers, hairdressers, consultants and a host of other professions.
- Working with weights, or just doing training, you must comply with the measure. This is due to the fact that daily, heavy loads often provoke varicose veins in the legs in men.
Statistics suggests that varicose veins are most common among women. First of all, this is due to the fact that women's work, one way or another, can be called more standing. In addition, a woman often walks in heels,which also provokes the development of the disease. The main part of the fair sex suffers from varicose veins due to hormonal disruptions in the body. This is most often observed during pregnancy.
What is the danger of varicose veins in the legs in men and women
Quite a few mistakenly believe that the main danger of this disease lies only in its unaesthetic appearance. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Many, arguing about the dangers of varicose veins, do not even try to seek help from a specialist. But if this is done in time, then the disease can be cured at an early stage. Running forms of varicose veins can provoke an exacerbation of serious diseases. Such exacerbations usually appear in the form:
- Thrombophlebitis.
- Phlebitis.
- Thrombosis.
- Trophic ulcers.
Violation of the trophism of leg tissues
Considering the dangers of varicose veins in men and women, it should be noted that at a certain stage this disease can lead to the fact that blood circulation in the tissues of the lower extremities begins to deteriorate significantly. The consequences of this phenomenon are not considered to be complications, they are included among the symptoms of varicose veins. These should include:
- Change in skin tone. As a rule, pigmentation forms on the skin, hair begins to fall out, the surface becomes thin, dry, parchment. The skin becomes darker, acquires a brown tint.
- Lipodermatosclerosis. This condition precedes the formation of trophic ulcers. Induring it, degradation of adipose tissue is observed. The legs begin to increase in volume, and it will be possible to reduce them only with the help of plastic surgery.
- Varicose eczema. With varicose eczema, vesicles appear on the skin. It is accompanied by severe itching. If you scratch these vesicles, they begin to open, after which they dry out and become covered with a crust.
- Trophic ulcers. The more pronounced venous insufficiency is, the larger the ulcers become in size, and the worse they heal. The extreme degree of trophic disturbance is the formation of ulcers that never heal at all.
In addition to the above violations, there is also a rather long healing of any damage to the skin, even the smallest ones. Therefore, a person suffering from severe or moderate varicose veins should be very careful to prevent injuries on their legs.
Varicothrombophlebitis
Varicothrombophlebitis is a thrombotic lesion of already altered veins under the influence of varicose veins. In the future, this pathological process may also spread to the deep veins in the legs. This condition is accompanied by certain symptoms:
- Pain along the vein where blood clots are visible.
- Limited mobility of the affected limbs due to increased pain.
- Formation of a red stripe on the skin over inflamed veins.
- Increased pain during palpation of affected areas.
- Increase in body temperature up to 38 degrees,associated with hyperthermia.
These consequences of varicose veins are a serious he alth hazard, as varicothrombophlebitis has the ability to progress, simultaneously affecting new vessels. The disease requires immediate surgical intervention.
Acute deep vein thrombosis
If blood clots have formed in the vessels, always in parallel with this there is a risk of thromboembolic complications of varicose veins. They should be classified among the most adverse effects of varicose veins. The essence of this pathology lies in the fact that blood clots break away from the vessels and, together with blood, penetrate into a deep vein, where they begin to clog its lumen. Obliteration may be incomplete or complete. In the case of complete occlusion of the lumen, a pronounced edema of the affected limbs appears.
Pulmonary embolism
Another dangerous consequence of varicose veins is pulmonary embolism, which in most cases is fatal. Pulmonary embolism is the third leading cause of sudden death. Typically, 2% to 5% of patients die from this disease.
The whole point of this dangerous pathology lies in the fact that blood clots from deep veins enter the pulmonary arteries, blocking the lumen. The prognosis will depend on how big the clot was. Statistics show that one third of patients with extensive embolicdefeat of the pulmonary arteries end their lives with a fatal outcome in the first hour after such an event. The rest of the patients receive emergency medical care, as a result of which they survive. However, it is worth paying attention to the fact that in the future such people may develop chronic hypertension in the pulmonary circulation.
Features of treatment of varicose veins
In order not to think about the dangers of varicose veins in women and men, you should immediately start treating this disease at the first manifestations of the disease. As a rule, varicose veins on the legs begin to develop gradually. This can be viewed from several angles. On the one hand, this is good, because the sooner the patient discovers the first symptoms of the disease, the sooner he will be able to start treatment, preventing the development of varicose veins. On the other hand, many in this case postpone treatment until later, because at present varicose veins do not bother a person too much. As a result, 1% of patients become disabled in the future, and all this happens due to a course of therapy not carried out on time.
In any case, treatment is necessary. The sooner the patient starts therapy, the faster the results will be, and he will not have a question about how dangerous varicose veins are.
The main therapy is based on the use of medications. Thanks to them, it is possible to prevent its development even in the early stages of the disease. However, a full recovery requires a comprehensive approach. In addition to medicines, doctorsrecommend:
- Wear special stockings.
- Wear tights.
- Wear stockings made of jersey.
- Massage.
Sclerotherapy
In addition, there is a very effective way - sclerotherapy. This method of treating varicose veins consists in the fact that a special drug is injected into the veins suffering from the disease. Of course, at one time it will be impossible to cure varicose veins. Depending on the stage of the disease, several sessions are enough for a complete recovery.
The only downside to this treatment is the pain. But you can endure discomfort, after which a person can be sure that varicose veins will no longer return to him.
Lymphatic drainage
In addition, experts often prescribe lymphatic drainage. It is one of the massage methods, due to which puffiness subsides, blood outflow increases. However, do not assume that you can only limit yourself to lymphatic drainage. Unfortunately, the effect of such a procedure is temporary, and there will be no result in the form of recovery with the help of such a massage.
What is the danger of varicose veins during pregnancy
As mentioned earlier, quite often varicose veins appear in women during pregnancy. If we talk about the dangers of varicose veins in women during pregnancy, then at this time, as a rule, the disease is not accompanied by any serious complications. But this will be only in those cases if the woman starts treatment in a timely manner and prevents the progression of the disease. Also, considering whethervaricose veins during pregnancy, it should be noted that if the pathology is ignored, a woman may experience superficial thrombophlebitis, bleeding during injury to the skin, venous eczema, and the development of venous ulcers on the ankles.
Varicosis of the uterus is especially dangerous for women. But what is the danger of uterine varicose veins? Basically, this pathology is also accompanied by vasodilation in the legs, labia, cervix and other organs of the small pelvis. Uterine varicose veins is a violation of the outflow of blood fluid. The main cause of what disease is a sharp increase in the uterus during pregnancy. However, it is worth paying attention to the fact that such cases are quite rare in practice.
