Varicose veins lead to pulmonary embolism, which is fatal.

Patients with varicose veins will have pulmonary embolism, generally because of deep vein thrombosis, which has a high probability. But patients with varicose veins should be actively treated.

News report: "An unemployed man is addicted to online games. He sat quietly 12 ~ 13 hours every day for 2 ~ 3 months, resulting in deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in the left lower extremity. Not only will he gasp and cough up blood, but he will almost die! 」

Yuan, an attending cardiovascular surgeon in Tai 'an Hospital, said that this is a typical "economy class syndrome", that is, sitting in a narrow space in economy class for a long time, the foot has little room to move, which leads to poor hemorheology of leg veins, and continuous inhalation of filtered dry air during flight increases blood viscosity and leads to deep vein thrombosis. Once these blood clots run to the lungs along the blood flow and block the pulmonary blood vessels, pulmonary embolism will occur, which will not only lead to breathing difficulties, but also lead to death.

The mortality rate of pulmonary embolism is 1 ~ 30%.

The incidence of pulmonary embolism is about 1%, and there are about 60 ~ 100 cases among 65,438+people every year, and the mortality rate is as high as 1 ~ 30%. Pulmonary embolism is the most dangerous type of venous embolism. Foreign studies have pointed out that the mortality rate of acute pulmonary embolism is 15%, and 30% of patients are declared dead within 1 week after onset, of which 25% are sudden deaths, which is also one of the most common causes of accidental death in hospitals, and the severity is second only to nosocomial infection. At its annual meeting in 2009, the European Medical Association warned that more than 5.43 million people worldwide died of venous embolism every year, exceeding the number of deaths from breast cancer or AIDS.

In the United States, pulmonary embolism is the third leading cause of death of cardiovascular diseases, second only to coronary heart disease and stroke, especially patients with varicose veins of lower limbs are at high risk. According to statistics, about 20 ~ 25% of women and 10 ~ 15% of men in China suffer from varicose veins of lower limbs, and the incidence rate of women is four times that of men. Some people have varicose veins (that is, varicose veins under the skin, radiating like cobwebs); Some people have varicose veins in their ankles and calves; In severe cases, even the whole great saphenous vein system (including great saphenous vein and small saphenous vein, which is responsible for collecting venous blood on the skin surface of the whole lower limb) is dilated.

The veins in my legs are afraid of varicose veins.

The most typical symptom of varicose veins is the appearance of several looming "little green snakes" on the legs, also called violent blue veins, which not only affects the appearance, but also serves as a warning to the body and must not be careless. In medicine, it means that venous blood cannot flow back to the heart smoothly, and venous blood is mostly waste material that the body does not want. Therefore, if these substances stay in venous blood vessels for a long time, it may cause itching, inflammation, ulceration and bleeding on the skin surface near blood vessels, and if the skin is scratched, it may also cause infection.

Yuan said that varicose veins will darken the calf, cramp and pain, and even cause edema in the foot. Under normal circumstances, patients with varicose veins of lower limbs, because the blood stays in their feet, often every afternoon, their feet will begin to swell and even have fever and pain. When you sleep at night, you are prone to cramps; The next day, when I slept, the swelling eased again. Because of the release of iron in the blood, the skin of lower limbs will appear black.

Sometimes the vein can't stand it, it will rupture and bleed, or it will produce blood clot inflammation along the vein wall (thrombophlebitis). At this time, the epidermis will also appear redness and pain along the vein, and even feel painful nodules.

Deep vein thrombosis is a risk factor.

On the internet or in the public, it is said that such a blood clot may lead to fatal pulmonary embolism if it enters the pulmonary microvasculature. Yuan stressed that patients with varicose veins will have pulmonary embolism, usually because of thrombosis in deep veins, so people don't have to panic excessively, because the large blood vessels in deep veins account for 90% of human blood flow. Once they enter the inferior vena cava, they pass through the liver and other organs in the abdomen, and then enter the heart and lungs. Because there are many tiny blood vessels in the lungs, pulmonary embolism is prone to occur at this time.

As for varicose veins of ordinary people, in fact, most of them occur in superficial veins, that is, small veins on the skin surface, and the blood flow accounts for only 1 ~ 3% of the human body. If thrombosis occurs, the most common thing is to cause skin surface pain, even like the symptoms of hemorrhoids.

Because varicose veins often have no obvious symptoms in the initial stage, the above-mentioned discomfort symptoms may appear, serious or even fatal, and it is quite easy to be misdiagnosed as other skin problems. Moreover, the initial treatment of varicose veins is relatively easy, and the later treatment will become more and more difficult. Therefore, it is best to grasp the golden period of treatment.

Three methods for treating varicose veins

◆ Compression therapy: wear elastic socks or wrap with elastic bandages to reduce venous reflux or congestion. However, when purchasing medical elastic socks, we should pay special attention to the fit. According to American statistics, about13 patients with varicose veins wear inappropriate elastic socks, which is not only ineffective, but also uncomfortable. It's best to wear elastic socks as soon as you get up, and then take them off when you sleep at night. But be careful not to wear tights or cross your legs for a long time, so as not to hinder the blood return in the vein.

◆ Sclerosing agent treatment: In order to eliminate varicose veins, the sclerosing agent injected into veins destroys endothelial cells, causing vasospasm and inflammation, and then causing thrombosis and vascular fibrosis. However, sclerosing agent therapy is only suitable for small vein dilatation. If sclerosing agent is injected into larger varicose veins, the effect is not significant. Moreover, injection of sclerosing agent can easily cause side effects such as allergy, local pain, skin necrosis and pigmentation. If the sclerosing agent is accidentally pumped into the artery, it is more likely to cause limb necrosis or even amputation. Therefore, it is necessary to be cautious when using sclerosing agent for treatment, and it is best to ask for help from an experienced specialist.

◆ Surgical treatment: varicose veins are mainly removed. Surgical methods include high ligation of great saphenous vein, vein stripping, perforated vein ligation or simple vein resection, but not all varicose veins need surgical resection. Make sure the deep vein is unobstructed before operation. It is best to wrap it with elastic bandage or wear elastic socks in a short time after operation, and take off the stitches in about 10 ~ 14 days; However, this is not a once-and-for-all operation. There is still the possibility of recurrence after operation, so we must be careful to prevent it.

How to prevent varicose veins?

◆ Raise the lower limbs: raise the legs above the heart for about 10 ~ 15 minutes in bed before going to bed every day, or raise the lower limbs with a pillow (about 15 cm) when sleeping, so as to promote the blood return of the legs.

Wear elastic socks: elastic socks can be divided into "treatment" and "prevention" functions, and the difference lies in elasticity and elasticity. If you need to stand or sit for a long time, you can wear general preventive elastic socks; If varicose veins already exist, you can choose * * * with higher elastic coefficient to prevent and stop the continuous deterioration of varicose veins.

◆ Don't cross your legs: Crossing your legs will hinder blood circulation, aggravate varicose veins, and have a great impact on arteries; Usually, you should have the habit of walking or walking, exercise calf muscles and promote venous blood return.

◆ Weight control: maintain the ideal weight and reduce the lower body load.

◆ Standing for a long time and remembering activities: If you can't walk often, remember to do leg stretching actions such as "stretching and bending the instep" to contract calf muscles and help blood return.

◆ Keep a correct and regular life: keep regular sleep activities every day and avoid strange things such as staying up late, smoking and drinking.

◆ Pregnant women wear elastic socks: You can also wear suitable elastic socks during pregnancy. Some women will reduce or disappear varicose veins due to lower abdominal pressure after delivery.

High-risk group of varicose veins

The causes of varicose veins are related to heredity and female hormones (especially luteinizing hormone). Generally speaking, women with family history (usually with signs in adolescence), over 50 years old, obese, often taking oral contraceptives (especially luteinizing hormone), patients with malignant tumors, patients with hematological diseases, long-term bedridden patients, and workers who stand or sit in a fixed position for a long time (more than 6 hours a day), such as teachers, counter girls, elevator girls, chefs, operators, surgeons, bankers, etc. In addition, pregnant women have a higher risk of varicose veins because of the pressure of uterine amniotic fluid on the veins of lower limbs, which makes it difficult for venous blood to return.

This article is taken from 396