Swelling of the feet usually develops in cardiovascular disease, varicose veins Varicose veins - when to consult a surgeon?   and in violation of lymphatic drainage. To understand why swollen legs, you need to see a doctor and get tested. Only then can the doctor prescribe adequate treatment.

Swelling of the feet when cardiovascular disease

The cause of the swelling of the legs may be a violation of the heart when the body is unable to provide adequate blood flow to organs and tissues. The main cause of heart failure is a decrease in cardiac contractility. This often occurs when the heart diseases, inflammation of the heart (myocarditis), condition after myocardial infarction, when part of the heart muscle is replaced by connective tissue (scar post-infarction) and so on.

Violation of cardiac contractility leads to the fact that the blood does not have time to be pumped, fabrics suffer from a lack of arterial blood, which gives them the nutrients and oxygen, while venous blood retained in the blood vessels, which leads to edema. The liquid component of the venous blood into the surrounding tissue propotevaet forming edema. Swelling in the systemic circulation (via the systemic circulation blood is delivered to all organs and tissues) start at the lowest part of the body - legs.

Initially swelling can be hidden, in this case, there is a delay in the body of less than 5 liters. First, there are small mild swelling in the legs, the skin over them pale. These swelling - a consequence of a violation of capillary permeability, arising due to lack of oxygen. Gradually the swelling becoming more dense, extend to the lower back and then the whole body.

Treatment of heart failure is the appointment of drugs that stimulate cardiac contractility. With this task well handle cardiac glycosides - they help to ensure that the heart contracts less often and with greater force. The pumping function of the heart is increased, the arterial blood flows to the tissues in time, which helps to improve the state of the capillaries. Venous blood as time goes to the heart, which helps reduce swelling.

To reduce the load on the heart, such patients are periodically allocated diuretics. And since many of them contribute to the removal of potassium, vital heart muscle at the same time prescribe medications such as asparkam or Pananginum. But there is a potassium-sparing diuretics - they do not require the appointment of additional potassium.

Swelling of legs with venous insufficiency

Swelling in the legs can also be a sign of venous insufficiency, which is one of the most common pathologies due to a sedentary lifestyle and frequent high body weight. All of the venous system of the lower extremities is divided into superficial and deep, between which there is a message. The main volume is venous blood in the deep veins, the veins in its surface is several times smaller.

The blood in the veins is moving from the periphery to the heart, taking the path of the tissue products and carbon dioxide exchange. The movement from the bottom up is possible thanks to the work of the heart as a pump, the valves in the veins themselves which in normal operation prevent backflow of blood, and muscles (mainly calf), reduce walking, venous blood moves up the veins. When sedentary lifestyle value of the last factor is considerably reduced. Very often venous insufficiency develops in people a long time staying in a standing position (sellers, hairdressers and so on).

When venous insufficiency of blood with difficulty climbing up the veins of the lower extremities due to disorders of the venous valves that prevent backflow of blood. As a result, the legs formed venous stasis. Stasis contributes exudation liquid portion of blood into the surrounding tissue - so formed edema. The appearance of swelling in the legs accompanied by severe weakness and heaviness in the legs, fatigue, itching, sometimes - cramps in the calf muscles. Swelling of squeeze tissue and disrupt their supply of arterial blood, which leads to venous ulcers. Varicose veins may also be complicated by thrombophlebitis (vein occlusion thrombus with subsequent inflammation), bleeding from sites of superficial veins, inflammation of the lymphatic vessels.

Treatment of venous insufficiency is conducted in different ways. The initial stages are treated conservatively. Assign wearing special compression stockings, comfortable shoes with low heels, the right motor mode (recommended to avoid prolonged standing, heavy physical exertion, often take a horizontal position). To improve the blood circulation in the calf muscles is recommended to perform a complex of therapeutic exercises for the legs.

If venous insufficiency increases, sclerotherapy is performed Sclerotherapy   - Some portions extended veins and knots are removed by introducing into a vein sclerosing agent. This leads to zapustevaniyu veins and blood flow is restored by proliferation network of small veins. Wires and venectomy - surgery to remove the affected area extended saphenous vein.

Swelling of the legs may have different causes, respectively, for various types of edema and requires different treatment.

Galina Romanenko

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