Varicose veins are a disease based on an irreversible enlargement of the diameter of the veins and a loss of function of the venous valves.
Where is the second heart
To understand the causes of varicose veins, it is necessary to turn to the peculiarities of the structure and function of the venous system.
Veins refer to the blood vessels that carry blood from tissues and organs. Unlike arteries, which carry blood from the heart and distribute it up and down, most veins in the body flow from the bottom up. The main driving force in the arteries is the energy of heart contractions. On the way to the organs, it is almost completely consumed and cannot ensure a stable return of blood to the heart.
The structural features of the venous system help to maintain complete circulation. They can be divided into:
- central;
- peripheral.
The central factors are the residual blood pressure, which is transmitted to the veins after the blood passes through the arterial system, and the suction action of the diaphragm. It is a muscular septum that separates the chest cavity from the abdomen. Large venous vessels pass through the diaphragm. When you breathe in, it goes down, compressing the venous vessels, and when you breathe out, it goes up. These movements work like a pump, helping blood flow up the veins to the heart.
Peripheral factors include:
- musculo-venous pump;
- venous valves;
- venous tone.
The role of these factors in blood circulation is so great that they are called the second heart of the body.. . . Dysfunction of any of them can be the starting point for the development of varicose veins.
Musculo-venous pump
The main force that moves blood from the organs to the heart is the contraction of the muscles surrounding the veins. This is called the musculo-venous pump. During walking, exercise, muscle fibers contract, resulting in narrowing of the lumen of the venous vessels, as a result of which blood is pushed into the overlying sections.
Venous valves
In order to prevent the blood from flowing back as the muscle fibers relax, there are valves in the veins. These are growths on the inner surface of the vessel wall, which are a thin, elastic plate. The valve flaps are directed towards the heart.
The principle of their work is as follows: when the muscle fibers relax and the blood tends to descend under the effect of gravity, it enters the space formed by the valve sheet and the vascular wall. The pressure created by the blood in this area causes the valves to close, preventing it from flowing back.
Your venous
Venous tone maintains and regulates vascular capacity. It is supplied by connective tissue and muscle fibers that make up the venous wall. Special nerve cells, located in the thickness of blood vessels, respond to blood pressure by signaling muscle cells and connective tissue fibers. The lumen of the vein is reduced, so that the blood moves to the heart.
Thus, the stable functioning of the venous system depends on the proper functioning of all its constituent elements. Understanding these mechanisms means making the treatment of varicose veins the most effective.
Between cause and effect
To date, there is no single theory of the development of varicose veins. The greatest difficulty is separating the direct cause of the disease from the conditions that only contribute to its manifestation.
Varicose veins disease is a genetically determined disease that manifests itself only when exposed to certain unfavorable factors.
In people susceptible to varicose veins, a congenital disorder of the structure of the vascular wall and a decrease in the number of valves have been found. As a result, two of the most important mechanisms of blood flow from organs to the heart suffer: venous tone decreases, and the valve system does not work.
The simplified development of the disease in this case is as follows. The blood, which is pushed through the vessels due to muscle contraction, stretches downward during the phase of muscle fiber relaxation under the influence of gravity. In the event that there are few venous valves or their valves are not able to effectively block the lumen of the vessel, blood flows back to the lower parts. With insufficient elasticity and elasticity of the venous wall, a pronounced expansion of the diameter of the vessel occurs. As a result, the valve cusps move away from each other, allowing even more blood volume to flow downward. A pathological vicious circle develops. These are varicose veins.
However, in a healthy body, even in the presence of congenital changes in the venous vessels, the development of the disease does not occur. For this mechanism to work, the impact of one or more adverse factors is necessary. These include:
- Way of life;
- hypodynamia;
- obesity;
- Hormonal imbalance;
- pregnancy.
Way of life
Lifestyle features lead to increased pressure in the veins, leading to increased stress on the vascular wall.
This is most often observed with prolonged standing or sitting and during work associated with constant lifting of weight. The development of varicose veins is provoked by tight underwear, jeans, which squeeze large veins at the level of the inguinal folds. Nutrition is also important: the consumption of refined foods, the absence of fresh fruits and vegetables on the daily menu - sources of fiber. Such nutrition leads to the development of constipation, which increases intra-abdominal pressure.
Hypodynamia
As you know, the muscles are the second heart of the veins, due to their contraction, the walls of the vessels are compressed, and blood is circulated. With a sedentary lifestyle, this circulatory mechanism is lost. The degree of muscle development also plays an important role - the better the muscle is developed, the easier it is to cope with the work of promoting blood. This is the reason for the rarity of varicose veins in sports-athletes.
Obesity
Obesity is a reliable risk factor for the development of varicose veins in women. At the same time, such an addiction was not revealed in men.
Hormonal imbalance
Female sex hormones - estrogen, progesterone - in amounts exceeding physiological norms, affect the venous wall and reduce its tone. This is due to the progressive destruction of connective fibers which give it strength and elasticity. Hormonal contraceptives, hormonal drugs for the treatment of menopause play an important role in the development of varicose veins.
Pregnancy
An increase in the volume of circulating blood, compression by the uterus of large veins that pass behind its posterior wall, an increase in intra-abdominal pressure make pregnancy one of the main causes of varicose veins in women.