What are varicose veins and how do they appear?
Varicose veins are a disease of the veins of the lower extremities. Our veins, in normal conditions, carry blood poorer to oxygen back to the heart to lead to the lungs and purify. The veins of the lower extremities, due to our upright walking, are burdened by returning a large volume of blood to the heart. In many people, there is a weakening of the venous wall in the lower extremities that results in the gradual malfunction of the venous valves . Consequently, blood flow is changed slowly (to the periphery and not the other way around) and its volume and pressure exerted on the surface venous system of the lower extremities is increased. This creates elongation and widening of veins under the skin in subcutaneous fat and venous blood stagnates. So these visible helical and widespread veins are venous varicose veins . They are separated into large varicose veins (with a diameter of over 3mm) and the spider veins. The spider veins-also known as " broken vessels" or arachnoid veins -are in turn divided into tartherace , which are thunder-colored intradermal veins (up to 1mm) and networks that are blue-colored veins (1-3mm).
What are the factors that are the most related to the appearance of varicose veins?
Varicose veins are more common on the female leaf than in men. Today, she has one in three women and one in five men to some extent from varicose veins. In women, the percentage of the spinning reaches 80%. The different hormonal profile of women than men seem to favor the appearance of the disease. Pregnancy is also a time when venous diseases get worse or appear for the first time . heredity as well as prolonged standing (mainly professional) is a significant degree . Finally, aggravating factors are obesity, sedentary life and a pre -existing venous thrombosis at the lower extremity.
What are the symptoms of varicose veins?
Many times varicose veins remain asymptomatic for a long time. In patients with spider veins the problem is only aesthetic and as such concern the patient who is looking for the vascular surgeon. However, with the passage of weather and the deterioration of the disease, patients begin and complain about weight and swelling in the lower extremities , mainly after prolonged standing or sedentary posture, especially when high temperatures such as summer prevail. Second phase is added to the profile of symptoms of pain and/or cramps , to the calves. When the disease remains for years of incomplete, there are food disorders on the skin - mainly in the area of the hammer - and there is a risk of atrophy of the skin that can develop into eczema or even chronic ulcer.
What are the complications of varicose veins?
The most common complication of varicose veins is the so -called thrombophelitis, that is, the thrombosis of the pathological veins accompanied by an inflammatory image along the thrombosis. This complication is not generally considered serious, but it must be cured because it is associated with a relatively increased risk of concomitant thrombosis of deep veins of the limb with a ultimate risk of pulmonary embolism. Another common complication is the bleeding from surface varicose veins, usually after injury. Although frightened when it happens because the bleeding is usually high, it is easily treated by compression of the bleeding vein and immediate limb. Finally, prolonged and incurable chronic venous insufficiency can evolve into chronic edema, white atrophy and ultimately the very serious condition that is the "open wound" or otherwise venous ulcer .
How is varicose veins diagnosed?
Apart from the detailed clinical examination of the patient, the basic and almost always unique test for the diagnosis of varicose veins is the ultrasound, known to all of us Triplex. This method can also map all pathological venous branches, which is necessary before any surgery.
What is the treatment of varicose veins?
Vascular surgery today offers many possible treatments to treat varicose veins. In addition to sclerotherapy in the case of the aesthetic problem of the spider veins, the advanced stages of disease are treated both by classic surgical methods and modern bloodless endovascular methods . The vascular surgeon will advise and inform the patient of all methods with the corresponding advantages and disadvantages to choose the best possible method with the least complications and the best possible long -term results.