Causes, symptoms and treatment of varicose veins in men on the legs

According to statistics, varicose veins in the legs in strong 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 fundamental differences between varicose veins in men and women, but, unfortunately, the former seek help much later, when the disease has already developed and is much less treatable. The article will focus on the characteristics of the disease course in men, as well as methods of dealing with it.

The influence of heredity and bad habits on the development of varicose veins

First, 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 fails to fulfill its functions. The consequences of the progression of the pathological process are as follows:

• Stagnation of blood in the veins, respectively, increases venous pressure.
• The violation of blood circulation is accompanied by a deterioration in the flow of lymph.
• Vascular nodules, also called spider veins, appear.
• Vascular rupture and bruising.
• 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 a genetic predisposition. However, the hereditary factor does not concern the varicose veins themselves, we are talking about a predisposition to the weakness of the valve system, with which the venous valves weaken and wear out more quickly. This process is the cause of impaired blood circulation in the vascular bed and, consequently, of the development of congestion, deformation of the veins, that is, of the varicose veins themselves.

In addition, bad habits, in which smoking and alcohol rank first, play an important role in patients' anamnesis. The abuse of tobacco and alcoholic products negatively affects the functioning of the cardiovascular system, as well as the condition of blood vessels and even the composition of the blood. Again referring to the harsh statistics, both habits are more likely to be male, it is this fact that puts smoking and alcoholism 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 most likely in the list of causes of the pathology:

1. Excessive tension in the legs due to professional activity (cooks, surgeons, etc. ), overweight, excessive physical effort due to playing sports or all the same professional activity (porters, builders, etc. );
2. The medal has a disadvantage, varicose veins can be triggered by lack of effort, or rather, by a sedentary or simply sedentary lifestyle. If we start from this point of view, drivers, office workers, as well as people who, for other reasons, have little mobility, including indisposition, are susceptible to the disease;
3. In view of smoking and hereditary predisposition, one of the serious and very common causes are the various diseases in which blood clotting is impaired.

Hormonal deregulations, wearing uncomfortable shoes and similar factors, are more inherent to women, for the same reasons (due to the greater number of triggers), fair sex is more likely to present with varicose veins.

The main symptoms of varicose veins

Regarding the clinical picture of the disease, much depends on the stage of its progression, as well as on a series of individual factors and causes of the varicose veins. However, there are several symptoms that men experience most often:

1. The initial stage of development of varicose veins rarely bothers the patient. There may be slight fatigue in the legs, worse at night, feelings of tugging or compression, 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 disorders.
2. As the pathological process progresses, veins begin to appear under the skin. Initially, these are vascular networks and dilated veins that protrude separately, which are then complemented with vascular "asterisks". The more the disease develops, the more obvious this clinical sign becomes; in the more advanced stages of disease development, veins swell under the skin, form lumps and increase the risk of trophic ulcers.
3. Unpleasant popping sensations, feeling of heaviness in the legs, as well as the swelling that used to appear in the late afternoon or later in the day, are becoming more and more felt. Over time, the discomfort turns into systematic pain, spreading along the course of the vessels affected by the varicose veins.
4. In places where the dilated veins and the vascular mesh are clearly visible, itchy skin appears.
5. Cramps, usually involving the muscle of the foot or calf, can also disturb you at night.

Important to remember!All the described clinical signs of varicose veins tend to increase at night, but this is precisely due to fatigue. That is, the symptoms become more intense also with the increase of physical effort.

Stages of venous disease in men

As previously mentioned, the symptoms and, in addition, the patient's health status and the treatment methods for varicose veins, strongly depend on the degree of disease progression. In total, there are three stages in the development of pathology:

1. Compensatory or mild- in this case, the symptoms are the least intense, and the patient himself practically does not complain about anything. In the first stage, slightly protruding vessels may appear on the legs, but men do not pay attention to this.

2. Moderate- this stage of the disease is also called subcompensatory. The veins are more clearly visible on the skin surface, 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, feeling of fatigue are increasingly disturbing, painful sensations appear for the first time.
3. Decompensation stage- the most severe form, when varicose veins reach their peak. They notice a strong swelling, an intense pain that can bother you throughout the day, the veins protrude strongly on the surface of the skin and change. At this stage, vascular nodules are formed, excessively high vascular pressure leads to damage to the walls of the veins and bruises appear. In especially advanced cases, trophic ulcers and eczema can occur. In the third stage, conservative methods of treatment are absolutely powerless, the patient needs surgical intervention, whose specificity is selected by the doctor.

Treatment of varicose veins

As in the case of symptoms, the principles of treatment depend directly on the progression of varicose veins. It is important to understand here that conservative therapy bears fruit mainly in the first, sometimes in the second stage of disease development, otherwise conservative treatment methods predominantly restrict the disease, but do not provide an opportunity to completely get rid of varicose veins. However, it is worth considering a wide range of methods to deal with the condition.

Conservative therapy

For treatment with conservative methods, an integrated approach is very important, which mainly implies adjustments in diet and changes in lifestyle.

In terms of nutrition, it is important to limit the use of junk food, fatty and fried foods, sweets in large quantities, minimize salty, spicy and acidic foods, as this all contributes to the retention of fluids in the body and impairs drainagelymphatic.

When it comes to adjusting your lifestyle, you should try to move as much as possible without straining your legs. Practice light sports, take regular walks, if you have to sit hard at work, warm up every hour. It is also very important to exclude bad habits, stop smoking and limit alcohol use to the maximum.

Medical therapy

Without the use of certain medications, complete treatment is impossible, so when contacting a phlebologist, a specialist can prescribe medications for 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 stagnation.
• Venotonics - as the name suggests, the drugs in this group improve vascular tone. In turn, it also helps to improve blood circulation, but is based on a different principle of action.
• As a symptomatic treatment, ointments in the category of NSAIDs are prescribed, which reduce painful sensations and interrupt the inflammatory process, and also prescribe special ointments for varicose veins, eliminating edema and other symptoms.
• In addition, in the context of conservative treatment, the use of compression underwear is necessary, as it prevents the progression of varicose veins and improves the patient's general condition.

Surgical treatments

If conservative treatment does not give the desired results or the disease has progressed a lot, a decision is made on the surgical intervention, in which case one of the types of operations is selected:

• Sclerotherapy- a substance (usually in the form of foam) is injected into a vein, which sticks to the vessel walls, excluding it from circulation. Over time, this vessel is removed and replaced by connective tissue.
• Phlebectomy- a complete operation, during which the anastomosis of a vein is clamped and the subsequent excision of the 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.
• Miniflebectomyis ​​a variation of phlebectomy, which is performed mainly in small vessels. A puncture is made in the skin, through which a part of the vein is pulled out with a special surgical instrument for further dissection. The operation is painless, the puncture heals quickly and no rehabilitation is necessary.
• Laser coagulation- a method similar to sclerotherapy, but instead of introducing a special composition into the lumen of a vessel, a thin catheter equipped with a laser is immersed there. The thermal action creates a sclerosis effect, due to which the vessel is also glued.