Varicose veins and other vascular diseases

Varicosity susceptibility is often inherited. Sedentary lifestyle, fatness, and especially pregnancy when load on feet increases and blood circulation is difficult, may be an impulse for beginning of disease.

If a woman knows that her mother or grandmother was afflicted with varicose veins and her venous system is weak, she has to undergo vessels strengthening treatment prior to labor and observe certain rules in order not to allow the disease to develop.

If the disease declares itself it is better not to lose time and practice self-treatment for it may cause very severe consequences. During early stages of the disease medicinal treatment with special drugs that strengthen venous walls is possible. It is impossible to cure this disease with only medicinal treatment; they only alleviate its symptoms (eliminate pain and heaviness in legs and improve blood supply). Medicinal treatment should be undergone under the doctor’s supervision in order not to miss the moment to turn to surgical treatment.

It is also necessary to remember that the more the disease is neglected the harder it is to cure.

Types of vascular diseases:

There are two types of vascular distension: arterial distension (telangiectasia, hemangioma, couperose, and so-called “wine spots”) and venous distension (varicose veins).

Hemangioma and telangiectasia are vascular patterns that consist of bright red “stars” or “spider lines” and can be situated on face or legs.

Reasons of origination:

The following internal disease can lead to appearance of vascular distension: insufficient venous outflow, inflammatory processes in the skin, high blood pressure, diseases of heart, blood vessels, gastrointestinal tract, liver, ovaries, thyroid or pancreatic gland, intake of hormone preparations, change of hormone background caused by pregnancy or menopause.

Adverse environmental factors that promote vascular distension are extreme weather conditions – strong wind, intensive sunrays, heat and cold.

Difference between low outside temperature and high temperature in well-heated room affects vessels especially negatively.

Among professional factors that promote vascular distension are frequent contacts with lime, reducers, aggressive cleaning agents.

Environmental pollution with industrial emissions and their subsequent contact with skin can also affect skin tissues blood circulation system. Some of these substances are sulfur dioxide that is emitted into air when liquid fuel (black oil), diesel oil or coal is burning, nitrous oxide that goes into air with exhaust gases of automobile engines.

Lifestyle is one of the important factors that affect vascular condition. Improper dietary pattern, alcohol abuse, stresses, and sedentary lifestyle can cause the disease.

Disease development:

Distension of large vessels in legs signals a dangerous disease of varicose veins. 20% of Ukrainian population is afflicted with it, almost 90% of women have varicosity of some extent.

The disease begins when a venous wall is unable to keep its shape and begins to widen. Main symptoms of the disease are: edematization and heaviness of legs, convulsions, persistent pain. Blood in the pathological vessel begins to stagnate and thicken, a thrombus appears. Venous walls are affected more in the place of thrombus formation and the vessel widens even more.

At the next stage lymphatic circulation is also disturbed, legs become bronze, then brown. After that persistent trophic ulcers appear. Elderly people suffer from this most often.

Thrombophlebitis that is also called venous congestion can be a dangerous complication. The main danger are thrombi (blood clots) that move along the vessels and can get to postcava and then to pulmonary artery and block it. This dangerous condition is called thromboembolism and often cause fatal outcome.

Methods of treatment:

Arterial distension (telangiectasia, hemangioma, and so-called “wine spots) in most cases is just a cosmetic defect that can be effectively treated with the help of laser. A target for laser impulse is the hemoglobin in the affected vessel. Under laser beam vessels become empty and their walls stick together and then dissolve without leaving traces.

Different emission filters are used depending on the nature of affection, diameter and color of pathological vessels. The procedure usually takes several minutes. If vessels are very large and are situated in several layers, the treatment is repeated approximately in a month.

Photocoagulation is a method of treatment that uses intense pulsed light source that heats blood vessels and coagulates blood in them. Later on the vessel is overgrown with connective tissue and the skin returns to its natural color.

Another method of treatment is sclerotherapy. A special substance is injected into vascular lumen that causes vessels to coalesce and then to disappear.

Venous distension. 

If edematization does not disappear during the whole day and dark spots appear on legs that can gradually turn into varicose ulcers, surgical treatment is necessary. It will help to prevent such dangerous complication as thrombophlebitis.

Surface veins assume only 5% of load, the other part falls to the share of deeper veins. If a superficial vein is removed, all blood flow goes to the deeper veins and varicose will not appear.

There are two ways of surgical treatment of varicose veins: sclerotherapy and venectomy.

Sclerotherapy is based on injection of special preparation called sclerosant into the area of varicose dilatation with subsequent bandaging. This causes vein emptying, shrinking and disappearance. Required number of procedures depends on vein affection features and can be from 1 to 5. Procedure duration is 15-45 minutes. After the procedure the doctor will advise you to walk for 10-30 minutes, walk daily for not less than an hour, do not take hot bath for 2 weeks, do not visit baths, sauna, and gym for 1.5-2 months.

Venectomy is a surgical method of treatment. The surgery eliminates affected subcutaneous veins and small varicose knots, prevents further disease development and complications (hyperpigmentation, trophic ulcers).

Prophylaxis:

The main prophylaxis of varicosity is movement. Common walking is very useful. It causes gastrocnemius muscles to contract around vessels, improve the operation of vascular valves and help pushing blood through veins. Outdoor sports like running, cycling, foot-racing, swimming are useful for invigoration of venous system. Only those sports that can cause leg traumas should be avoided.

Excess weight leads to vein overload and fast disease progress. Eat more fruits and vegetables, they contain cellulose that is used for synthesis of substances that strengthen venous walls. It is necessary to limit fatty, spicy, and salty dishes. It is important to prevent constipations for they cause permanent increase of venous pressure and aggravate venous insufficiency.