According to statistics, varicose veins on the legs in the stronger sex are about 3 times less common than in women. However, everyone is susceptible to this disease, including men.
According to phlebologists and vascular surgeons, there are no fundamental differences between varicose veins in men and women, but unfortunately the former seek help much later, when the disease has developed and is much less treatable. The article will focus on the features of the course of the disease in men, as well as methods of dealing with it.
The influence of heredity and bad habits on the development of varicose veins
First of all, it is worth understanding that varicose veins or varicose veins in medical practice are called pathologies accompanied by deformation of the venous vessels. In this case, the latter expand, stretch, their walls become thinner, and the valve system stops coping with its functions. The consequences of the progression of the disease process are as follows:
- Stagnation of blood in the veins, respectively, increased venous pressure.
- Violation of blood circulation is accompanied by a deterioration in the outflow of lymph.
- Vascular nodules, also called spider veins, appear.
- Vascular rupture and the appearance of hematomas.
- Presence of trophic ulcers.
- Increased risk of thrombophilia.
By studying the etiology of varicose veins, doctors came to the conclusion that the disease is more likely to develop due to a genetic predisposition. However, the hereditary factor does not concern the varicose veins themselves, it is a predisposition to the weakness of the valvular system, as a result of which the venous valves weaken and wear out faster. This process is the cause of impaired blood circulation in the vascular bed and, as a result, the development of congestion, deformation of the veins, that is, varicose veins.
In addition, bad habits, in the list of which smoking and alcohol are at the top, play an important role in the history of patients. The abuse of tobacco and alcohol products adversely affects the functioning of the cardiovascular system, as well as the state of blood vessels and even the composition of the blood. Still referring to the harsh statistics, both habits are more likely to be men, it is this fact that puts smoking and alcohol addiction at the top of the list of reasons for developing varicose veins.
However, the two reasons described are not the only ones, there are many other factors that are considered the most likely in the list of causes of the pathology:
- Excessive stress on the legs due to professional activities (cooks, surgeons, etc. ), excess weight, excessive physical exertion due to sport or all the same professional activities (loaders, bricklayers, etc. );
- The coin has a downside, varicose veins can be triggered by lack of effort, or rather by a sedentary or simply sedentary lifestyle. If we proceed from this point of view, drivers, employees, as well as people who move little for other reasons, even for lack of will, are susceptible to the disease;
- Taking into account smoking and hereditary predisposition, one of the serious and very common causes are various diseases in which blood clotting is impaired.
As for hormonal disorders, wearing uncomfortable shoes and similar factors, they are more inherent in women, for the same reasons (due to the greater number of triggers), the fair sex is more likely to suffer from varicose veins.
The main symptoms of varicose veins
When it comes to the clinical picture of the disease, a lot depends on the stage of its progression, as well as on a number of individual factors and causes of varicose veins. However, there are a number of symptoms that men experience more often:
- The initial stage of development of varicose veins rarely disturbs the patient. There may be slight fatigue in the legs, worsening in the evening, sensations of pulling or squeezing, slight swelling. In most cases, men do not pay attention to such phenomena and in vain, as the disease progresses and over time the symptoms become more pronounced and cause more problems.
- As the disease process progresses, veins begin to appear under the skin. Initially, these are vascular networks and separately protruding enlarged veins, which are then supplemented with vascular "asterisks". The more the disease develops, the more obvious this clinical sign becomes, in the later stages of the development of the disease, the veins swell under the skin, form nodules, and the risk of trophic ulcers increases.
- Unpleasant sensations of bursting, a feeling of heaviness in the legs, as well as swelling that previously occurred in the late afternoon or at the end of the working day are increasingly felt. Over time, the discomfort turns into systematic pain, spreading along the course of the vessels affected by varicose veins.
- In places where the dilated veins and the vascular network are clearly visible, itching appears on the skin.
- Cramps, which often involve the foot or calf muscle, can also be disturbing at night.
Important to remember!All the clinical signs described of varicose veins tend to increase in the evening, but this is due to fatigue. That is, the symptoms become more intense even with increased physical exertion.
Stages of venous disease in men
As mentioned above, the symptoms, and also the state of health of the patient and the methods of treatment of varicose veins, strongly depend on the degree of progression of the disease. In total, there are three stages in the development of the pathology:
- Compensatory or mild- in this case, the symptoms are the least intense and the patient himself practically does not complain about anything. Already at the first stage, slightly protruding vessels may appear on the legs, but men do not pay attention to this.
- Moderate: This stage of the disease is also called undercompensating. Veins are most clearly visible on the surface of the skin, but their enlargement and deformation can still be considered insignificant, as well as the pressure inside the vessel. At this stage, other symptoms intensify, edema, fatigue and painful sensations appear for the first time.
- Decompensation stage- the most severe form, when varicose veins reach their peak. They notice severe swelling, intense pain that can bother you during the day, veins strongly protrude on the surface of the skin and change. At this stage, vascular nodes are formed, excessively increased vascular pressure leads to damage to the walls of the veins and hematomas appear. In particularly advanced cases, trophic ulcers and eczema occur. In the third stage, conservative methods of treatment are absolutely powerless, the patient needs surgical intervention, the specificity of which is selected by the doctor.
Treatment of varicose veins
As in the case of symptoms, the principles of treatment directly depend on the progression of varicose veins. It is important to understand that conservative therapy bears fruit mainly in the first, sometimes in the second stage of the development of the disease, otherwise the methods of conservative treatment mainly curb the disease, but do not give the opportunity to completely get rid of varicose veins. However, it is worth considering a wide range of methods of treating the pathology.
Conservative therapy
For treatment with conservative methods, an integrated approach is very important, which mainly involves dietary adjustments and lifestyle changes.
In terms of nutrition, it is important to limit the use of junk food, fatty and fried foods, sweets in large quantities, to minimize salty, spicy and acidic foods, as all this contributes to fluid retention in the body andimpairs lymphatic flow.
As for lifestyle adjustments, try to move as much as possible without overloading your legs. Do light sports, take regular walks, if you have to sit a lot at work, warm up every hour. It is also very important to rule out bad habits, stop smoking and limit alcohol consumption as much as possible.
Drug therapy
Without the use of certain medicines, full treatment is impossible, therefore, when contacting a phlebologist, a specialist can prescribe drugs of the following groups:
- Anticoagulants - change the composition of the blood, reducing its viscosity, which improves blood circulation and prevents the formation of blood and lymphatic congestion.
- Venotonics: As the name suggests, drugs in this group improve vascular tone. In turn, it also helps improve blood circulation, but is based on a different principle of action.
- As a symptomatic treatment, ointments from the category of NSAIDs are prescribed, which reduce painful sensations and stop the inflammatory process, and also prescribe special ointments for varicose veins, eliminating edema and other symptoms.
- Also, as part of conservative treatment, it is necessary to wear compression underwear, it prevents the progression of varicose veins and improves the patient's condition in general.
Surgical treatments
If conservative treatment does not give the desired results or the disease has progressed too much, a decision is made on surgical intervention, in this case one of the types of operations is selected:
- Sclerotherapy- a substance (usually in the form of foam) is injected into the vein, which sticks to the walls of the vessel, excluding it from the bloodstream. Over time, this vessel is removed, it is replaced by connective tissue.
- Phlebectomy- a full-fledged operation, during which the anastomosis of a vein is blocked and the subsequent excision of its affected area is performed. This method is the most effective and at the same time radical, as it involves an incision, the imposition of words and a long period of rehabilitation.
- Miniflebectomy- a variant of phlebectomy, which is performed mainly on small vessels. A puncture is made in the skin, through which part of the vein is extracted using a special surgical instrument for subsequent dissection. The operation is painless, the puncture heals quickly, and no rehabilitation is required.
- Laser coagulation- a method similar to sclerotherapy, but instead of introducing a special composition into the lumen of a vessel, a thin laser-equipped catheter is immersed in it. The thermal action creates a sclerosis effect, thanks to which the vessel is also glued together.