In most cases, a patient will visit the doctor when varicose veins have already started to physically cause him or her problems, resulting in swelling and fatigue in the legs. Subsequently, the skin and subcutaneous tissue begin to change. This can be a painful process, and as the disease develops, non-healing wounds or trophic ulcers appear. According to statistics, typically about 17% of the population reaches this stage of the disease. Therefore, a simple calculation informs us that there are currently about 340,000 people in Latvia with vein problems.
One should note that every patient experiences the same course of the disease in all its stages. If it is not treated, brown pigmented spots will appear eventually on the skin followed by ulcers. In the course of treatment, the progression of the disease can be stopped, but significant changes in the skin and subcutaneous tissue are irreversible. This means that in situations where the disease has already taken hold, damaged veins can still be cured, but it is no longer possible to completely heal a diseased leg. For example, in a patient with a severely swollen leg, an operation is performed on the affected veins and the cause of the edema is eradicated. Although there is a significant reduction in swelling, if the leg tissue has been significantly damaged prior to the operation, then the remnants of the edema may remain after the operation, and the leg will not necessarily be completely healthy.
If the patient notices skin swelling or discoloration, he or she should consult a specialist at the earliest opportunity.
One severe problem which patients often notice early is venous thrombosis. The typical symptoms of superficial vein thrombi are distinct inflammation, with pain, swelling and redness in the thrombotic area. It is possible to feel harder veins. In this case, the patient should visit a specialist immediately, because there is a danger that the thrombus may become separated from the vessel wall, possibly even posing a threat to the patient’s life. Ordinarily, during the initial stage of treatment, surgery is not performed in order not to cause the detachment of the thrombus. Instead, medical treatment and compression therapy are used.
Depending on the diagnosis of the varicose vein type, laser surgery, laser procedures, US-controlled sclerotherapy, or a combination of methods are used.
