According to statistics, varicose veins on the legs in the stronger sex are about 3 times less common than in women. However, everyone, including men, is susceptible to this disease.
According to phlebologists and vascular surgeons, there are no essential differences between varicose veins in men and women, but unfortunately, the first persons seek help much later, when the disease has developed and is much less treated. The article will focus on the features of the course of the disease in men, as well as methods of coping with it.
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 pathology, followed by deformation of venous vessels. In this case, the latter expand, stretch, their walls become thinner, and the valve system ceases to cope with its functions. The consequences of the progression of the pathological process are as follows:
- Stagnation of blood in the veins, ie increased venous pressure.
- Violation of blood circulation is accompanied by worsening of lymph outflow.
- Vascular nodules, also called spider veins, appear.
- Vascular rupture and hematoma.
- Occurrence of trophic ulcers.
- Increased risk of thrombophilia.
Studying the etiology of varicose veins, doctors came to the conclusion that the disease is more likely to develop due to genetic predisposition. However, the hereditary factor does not concern the varicose veins themselves, it is a predisposition for the weakness of the valve system, as a result of which the venous valves weaken and wear out faster. This process is the cause of disturbed blood circulation in the vascular bed and, as a consequence, the development of congestion, deformation of veins, or very varicose veins.
In addition, bad habits, on the list of which smoking and alcohol are in the first place, play an important role in the anamnesis of patients. Abuse of tobacco and alcohol products negatively affects the work of the cardiovascular system, as well as the condition of blood vessels, and even the composition of the blood. Again referring to harsh statistics, it is more likely that both habits will be male, it is this fact that puts smoking and alcohol dependence at the top of the list of reasons for the development of varicose veins.
However, the two reasons described are not the only ones, there are several other factors that are considered the most likely in the list of causes of pathology:
- Excessive stress on the legs due to professional activities (cooks, surgeons, etc. ), overweight, excessive physical exertion due to sports or all the same professional activities (loaders, builders, etc. );
- Medal has a downside, varicose veins can be caused by lack of effort, or sedentary or simply inactive lifestyle. If we start from this point of view, drivers, office workers, as well as people who move little for other reasons, including unpreparedness, are susceptible to disease;
- Considering the fact of smoking and hereditary predisposition, one of the serious and very common causes are various diseases in which blood clotting is disturbed.
When it comes to hormonal disorders, wearing uncomfortable shoes and similar factors, they are more common in women, for the same reasons (due to the greater number of triggers), the sexual sex is more likely to suffer from varicose veins.
Main symptoms of varicose veins
As for the clinical picture of the disease, much depends on the degree 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 most often encounter:
- The initial stage of varicose vein development rarely bothers the patient. There may be slight fatigue in the legs, worse in the evening, a feeling of withdrawal or tightness, slight swelling. In most cases, men do not pay attention to such phenomena in vain, because the disease progresses and over time the symptoms become more pronounced and cause more problems.
- As the pathological process progresses, veins begin to appear under the skin. Initially, these are vascular networks and separate bulging varicose veins, which are then supplemented by vascular "stars". The more the disease develops, the more obvious the clinical sign becomes, in the later stages of the disease, the veins bulge under the skin, nodules form and the risk of trophic ulcers increases.
- Unpleasant shooting sensations, a feeling of heaviness in the legs, as well as swelling that previously appeared in the late afternoon or at the end of the working day, are given more and more. Over time, the discomfort develops into systemic pain, which spreads through the blood vessels affected by varicose veins.
- In places where varicose veins and vascular network are clearly visible, itching appears on the skin.
- Cramps, which most commonly involve the foot or lower leg muscles, can also interfere at night.
Important to remember!All the described clinical signs of varicose veins tend to increase in the evening, but this is precisely the result of fatigue. That is, the symptoms become more intense with increased physical effort.
Stages of venous disease in men
As mentioned earlier, the symptomatology, as well as the patient's medical condition and methods of treating varicose veins, strongly depend on the degree of disease progression. There are a total of three stages in the development of pathology:
- Compensatory or mild- in this case the symptoms are the least intense, and the patient himself complains practically nothing. Already in the first phase, slightly bulging veins can appear on the legs, but men do not pay attention to that.
- Moderate- this stage of the disease is also called subcompensatory. The veins are more clearly visible on the surface of the skin, but their enlargement and deformation can still be considered insignificant, as can the pressure inside the vessel. At this stage, other symptoms intensify, edema, a feeling of tiredness and painful feelings appear for the first time.
- Decompensation phase- the most severe form, the case when varicose veins reach their peak. There is a strong swelling, intense pain that can torment you during the day, the veins protrude strongly on the surface of the skin and change. At this stage, vascular nodules form, excessively increased vascular pressure leads to damage to the vein walls and hematomas appear. In particularly advanced cases, trophic ulcers and eczema occur. In the third phase, conservative methods of treatment are absolutely powerless, the patient needs surgery, the specificity of which is chosen by the doctor.
Treatment of varicose veins
As with symptoms, the principles of treatment depend directly on how advanced the varicose veins are. Here it is important to understand that conservative therapy bears fruit mainly in the first, sometimes second stage of disease development, otherwise conservative treatment methods mostly curb the disease, but do not provide the opportunity to completely get rid of varicose veins. Nevertheless, it is worth considering a wide range of methods to address the pathology.
Conservative therapy
An integrated approach is very important for conservative treatment, which primarily involves adjusting the diet and changing lifestyle.
In terms of nutrition, it is important to limit the use of unhealthy foods, fatty and fried foods, sweets in large quantities, to minimize salty, spicy and sour foods, because all this contributes to fluid retention in the body and impedes lymph flow.
When it comes to adjusting your lifestyle, you should try to move as much as possible without overloading your legs. Do light sports, walk regularly, if you have to sit a lot at work, warm up every hour. It is also very important to eliminate bad habits, quit smoking and limit alcohol use as much as possible.
Drug Therapy
Without the use of certain drugs, complete treatment is impossible, therefore, when contacting a phlebologist, a specialist may prescribe drugs from the following groups:
- Anticoagulants - change the composition of the blood, reducing its viscosity, which improves blood circulation and prevents the formation of blood and lymph congestion.
- Venotonics - as the name suggests, drugs from this group improve vascular tone. In turn, it helps to improve blood circulation, but the basis is a different principle of action.
- As a symptomatic treatment, ointments from the category of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs 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, prevent the progression of varicose veins and improve the patient's condition in general.
Surgical procedures
If conservative treatment does not give the desired results or the disease is too advanced, a decision is made on surgical intervention, in this case one of the types of operations is chosen:
- Sclerotherapy- a substance (usually in the form of foam) is injected into a vein, which sticks to the walls of the vessel, excluding it from the blood circulation. Over time, this vessel is removed, replaced by connective tissue.
- Phlebectomy- a full-fledged operation, during which the anastomosis of the vein is tightened and the affected area is subsequently excised. This method is the most efficient and at the same time radical, because it includes a cut, the imposition of words and a long period of rehabilitation.
- Miniphlebectomyis a variation of phlebectomy performed mainly on small vessels. A puncture is made on the skin through which a part of the vein is extracted using a special surgical instrument for further dissection. The operation is painless, the puncture heals quickly and no rehabilitation is needed.
- Laser coagulation- a method similar to sclerotherapy, but instead of introducing a special composition into the lumen of the vessel, a thin catheter equipped with a laser is immersed there. Thermal action creates the effect of sclerosis, which is why the vessel is glued.