Phlebeurysm

symptoms of varicose veins

Varicose veins are characterized by uneven expansion of the lumen of the leg veins, the appearance of nodules on them and an increase in length. The disease develops gradually, is characterized by a chronic course.

Women suffer from varicose veins three times more often than men. Among the stronger sex, people who love sports with maximum load distribution on their feet are prone to this disease: football, tennis, basketball.

Why varicose veins

There are three types of veins in the tissues of the legs: superficial, deep, connecting superficial and deep veins. Each artery is a hollow tube through which blood flows from the tissues of the legs to the heart. Because there are no muscle cells in the walls of the arteries, the arteries cannot contract to push the blood upwards. This task is performed by the skeletal muscles of the legs. And the valves are inside the arteries - they close the valves during skeletal muscle contraction and prevent blood flow. Each muscle contraction "pushes" the blood higher.

When the valves are not tightly closed, some of the blood flows back, causing a stagnation in the vein, which gradually stretches by pressing on the walls. The lumen of the vessel dilates, the wall lengthens. This is the beginning of varicose veins.

Factors causing the disease:

  • Heredity - with a congenital deficiency of collagen fibers, the vessel wall is less elastic and prone to elongation.
  • With excessive weight and obesity, wearing shoes with heels more than 3-4 centimeters, blood stasis in the arteries of the legs by wearing shoes for a long time in certain professions - hairdressers and salespeople, cooks, lecturers or office workers.
  • Changes in hormonal levels: Increased levels of progesterone in a pregnant woman's blood soften and dilate the walls, so the risk of varicose veins increases dramatically during pregnancy.

The first signs of varicose veins - how

Do not miss

Spider veins or spider veins - reticular varicose veins are considered an alarm signal from the moment they appear on the skin of the legs. This is not a cosmetic defect, but the beginning of the disease!

At the same time or after a while, the second group of symptoms combine - a feeling of heaviness in the legs, which spreads in the legs after standing for a long time or sitting in a chair. When a person starts walking, the feeling of heaviness decreases: skeletal muscles push the stagnant blood higher and the elongation of the vessel walls decreases.

Further development of the disease is manifested by edema in the legs - these are traces of socks, thickening of one leg relative to the other during visual examination.

It then causes pain in the calf muscles of the legs, rapid fatigue during walking, dry skin and pigmentation of the legs, varicose veins and the formation of trophic ulcers.

When should I 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 sooner a varicose vein is diagnosed, the more likely it is to stop at an early stage.