When one thinks of heart health, one immediately thinks of the arteries that supply it. And sometimes we forget that venous circulation can also be important in terms of cardiovascular prevention. To warn must be a very specific signal: the overload of the venous circulation of the legs which manifests itself with an edema, or swelling, which is created in the ankle and then perhaps goes up towards the calf. This condition is a sort of final “station” on the path of chronic venous insufficiency, a very widespread disease especially among women and not only that must be addressed and recognized, to arrive at targeted treatments on a case-by-case basis.
Up to 6 out of 10 women
“The picture, with different forms of severity, can affect up to six out of ten women and almost half of men – she explains Sabrina Brambilla, vascular surgeon at the Città Studi Clinical Institute of Milan. At risk of serious forms are above all women over-60, especially if they are overweight and sedentary and who have several pregnancies behind them. Genetic predisposition also affects the health of the veins “. Normally this condition presents with a feeling of heaviness and fatigue in the legs, night cramps and sometimes itching.
rischio flebiti
But it is precisely the swelling, especially if particularly frequent, to warn. “It is essential to always contact a specialist, especially in this case, since it is necessary to understand whether it is venous insufficiency or heart failure in the initial phase – resumes the expert – with regard to heart health, then, it is necessary to remember that especially in the presence of varicose veins it is easier for thrombophlebitis to form, with the possibility that small blood clots can detach from the venous wall and rise again, leading to a pulmonary embolism with symptoms very similar to those of a heart attack, first of all chest pain “.
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Treatment, case by case
Obviously, in terms of treatments, the first, fundamental step is to go to the family doctor for a skimming of the picture. Then it is necessary to think about the useful tests to recognize any non-visible venous problems and understand if and to what extent the situation may give rise to the risk of complications. “The key exam to find out how the veins are is thevenous doppler echo of the lower limbs – Brambilla says – thanks to this assessment it is possible, among other things, to understand if varices are present and what type of flow the blood has inside the veins, with consequent prediction of the risk of phlebitis and deep vein thrombosis. Only at that point can the treatment begin, which obviously must be studied “ad personam”, remembering that pharmacological treatment is useful at all levels of severity. Medicines, such as those based on purified flavonoids and diosmin, are indicated from the first symptoms of the disease and can help in both mild and severe forms.
The flavonoids that protect
Flavonoids, powerful vasoprotectors of the microcirculation, act on two fronts: on the one hand they reduce venous hypertension, on the other they counteract chronic inflammation. The symptoms that characterize chronic venous insufficiency are somehow “facilitated” by the constant presence of inflammation “. In the more advanced forms, when the symptoms are more serious and edemas appear, after having ascertained that the origin of the disorders is venous, the focus is also on compression through the elastic stockings, with a graduated compression evaluated based on the conditions and age of the patient. Finally, you can get to more aggressive therapies, such as sclerotherapy and surgery itself. However, we can all do something in a preventive way. “We need to focus on a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, with an antioxidant action, weight control and regular physical activity: perhaps, taking advantage of the season, you can also aim for water gymnastics which are very useful for venous health – concludes the specialist. For the rest, remember that the sun does not hurt the veins. But exposure to the rays must be done with intelligence and with adequate protection ”.
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