Obliterating endarteritis of the vessels of the lower extremities: treatment, symptoms, prevention, photo

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Slowly developing systemic disease affecting the blood vessels of the lower limbs, mainly the foot, obliterating the endarteritis of the vessels today is considered a fairly common type of leg disease. Complain of pain in the legs most often men who are in the age category from 35 to 55 years. However, there are cases when the disease occurs and at a young age. Among smokers, this disease is diagnosed much more often than in non-smokers, so the association of this disease with smoking has the right to exist.

What are the characteristics of the obliterating endarteritis of the vessels of the lower extremities and what is the mechanism of the development of the disease? Note that this ailment, as well as obliterating atherosclerosis, refers to diseases of peripheral arteries.

Features of the

Disease As a result of the gradual narrowing of the blood vessel lumen, which progresses slowly, there is a pronounced deterioration in the blood supply to the tissues of the legs, followed by their dying due to the lack of the necessary amount of nutrients and oxygen that are delivered to skin cells with blood. This causes a mandatory amputation - in the tissues there is gangrene, or spontaneous necrosis.

The cure for this disease is not completely possible, but at the beginning of treatment at the first signs it is likely to stop the pathological process.

About the features of the obliterating endarteritis of the vessels of the lower limbs and how smoking influences the development of the disease, the well-known TV presenter in the video below will tell:

Causes of the onset of

Today, the causes that cause spasm of the vessels of the lower limbs and the gradual deterioration of the supply of blood to the tissues of the legs are not fully understood. There is a link between the tendency of the disease manifestation in people who smoke for a long time, and for this reason the obliterating endarteritis of the vessels of the lower extremities among medical workers is often called "smoker's illness".

One of the reasons for the onset of this pathological condition of blood vessels is the activation of autoimmune processes, in which the body begins to produce specific antibodies against its own cells for unknown reasons. In this case, antibodies, acting on the cells of the walls of blood vessels and arteries, cause the build-up of connective tissues, which significantly narrow the lumen until it is completely blocked. It also affects adjacent fatty tissue, which also grows and compresses the walls of the vessels from the outside.

Next we will describe the signs of obliterating endarteritis.

Photo of obliterating endarteritis

Symptoms of

The mechanism of this disease is well studied, and the manifestations of the obliterating endarteritis of the vessels of the lower extremities make it possible to diagnose the disease in time and start treatment.

For the obliterating endarteritis of the vessels, the following symptoms are characteristic:

• feels a sharp pain that can strike both during calmness and movement - while the patient can not even continue walking, so painful is expressed. Often such a manifestation is compared to a knife attack on the muscles of calves. This manifestation has a certain term and is called "intermittent claudication";
• at other times may show chilliness in the legs( mostly stop), a feeling of creeping "goose bumps" on the skin and low temperature of the feet when feeling;
• the skin surface can change its color - local blanching of the skin, especially on the feet of both legs, maybe even the appearance of some blue skin;
• at palpation pulse becomes less and less tangible, and then completely ceases to be felt;
• on the toes can cause the appearance of non-healing wounds and ulcers with subsequent necrosis of the tissues - so gangrene is manifested and amputation is already mandatory.

The peculiarity of the manifestation of the obliterating endarteritis of the vessels of the lower extremities is the periodicity of its course, in which the periods of exacerbation of the disease and remission are clearly expressed.

At the onset of the pathological process of worsening of blood circulation, the process is observed to transition through several basic stages. Let us consider them in more detail.

More detailed and detailed about the "intermittent claudication" in the disease of obliterating endarteritis will be told by specialists in the field of medicine in the following video:

Phases of the development of the disease

As the tissues become affected, the following manifestations occur:

1. Development of dystrophic phenomena in the lower extremities -no external manifestations of pathology: the tissues receive sufficient nutrition, the soreness is not manifested. The lumen of the vessels is narrowed very slightly, and the disease can only be diagnosed by accident.
2. Spasmodication of large blood vessels - there may already be some soreness combined with rapid fatigue of the leg muscles. There are feelings of crawling "goosebumps", there may be increased chilliness in the legs and periodic sharp pain - it is at this stage of the development of the disease that there is intermittent claudication.
3. The third phase of the disease progression worsens the condition of the legs: the skin becomes dry and cold, externally it resembles parchment, legs are constantly cold( blood circulation is constantly deteriorating because of the narrowing of the lumens of blood vessels), the pulse is palpated ever less. There is a pronounced deformation of the nails, they practically stop growing. At this stage of the pathological process, there is an active growth of connective tissue in the vessels with a decrease in clearance in them.
4. Ulcer-necrotic stage - now on the skin of the legs there are non-healing wounds, ulcers, the pulse in the arteries is almost not felt. Intermittent claudication is present constantly, pain is constant, more pronounced when in a horizontal position. The volume of muscles is reduced, legs lose their physical form.
5. The last stage of the disease is characterized by complete blockage of the vessels with an overgrown connective tissue, resulting in the beginning of the processes of muscle dying and gangrene, which requires urgent removal.

Timely diagnosis will reveal the pathological process at the first stages of development and suspend the course of the disease, thereby avoiding surgical intervention. Next, we will talk about the diagnosis of obliterating endarteritis.

Diagnostics

For the diagnostic activities, the physician should first carefully listen to the patient's complaints - the external and subjective manifestations of the current disease are very pronounced, therefore they can be the reason for examination for the obliterating endarteritis of the vessels of the lower extremities.

Also to the diagnostic measures that will allow to establish the stage of the pathological process, the following should be attributed:

• use of radiopaque substances - angiography of blood vessels and arteries is performed;
• with the help of ultrasound( dopplerography) measured the speed of blood flow;
• capillarography( vascular microphotography);
• will also be assisted by measurement of pulse fluctuations - rheography.

Treatment of

Thanks to timely diagnosis, the early diagnosis revealed is more treatable and excludes surgical intervention. Complex treatment, based on the individual characteristics of each patient, allows you to remove soreness and ease the manifestations of the disease.

There are several main methods of therapeutic effect, which allows to increase the duration of the remission periods and to alleviate the symptoms.

Therapeutic way of

To prevent the further development of the disease, it is necessary to stop the negative influence of provoking factors, which include:

• hypothermia;
• smoking;
• alcohol intake.

These factors increase the spasms of the vessels, so their elimination can reduce the risk of deepening pathological processes.

Also to the therapeutic methods of influence should be attributed:

• wearing larger shoes to prevent compression of the foot tissues;
• use of warm clothes and constant warming of feet;
• to avoid traumatic factors.

Thoroughness in keeping feet hygiene, regular washing of feet with soap and preventing excessive sweating can improve the condition of tissues and prolong the periods of remission of the disease.

Medication

To treat spasms in the treatment of obliterating endarteritis, antispasmodics and ganglion blockers are used( Hexony, No-Shpa, Galidor).Some drugs are used only orally, and for particularly severe manifestations of the disease, intravenous and intramuscular injection is used.

The use of diprofen allows you to relieve severe soreness and relieve muscle tension. Depending on the stage of the disease, its dosage is prescribed and the drug is administered under the supervision of a doctor.

Also used are anti-allergic drugs such as Suprastin and Tavegil, which help fight the manifestations of the disease - soreness, muscle spasms. Nicotinic and ascorbic acids are used to improve the degree of rheology of the blood. However, the presence of some negative side effects these substances are used only when necessary. Drugs for anticoagulant effects are prescribed by a doctor if necessary.

On how it is possible to treat the obliterating endarteritis of the vessels of the lower extremities by folk remedies, read on.

Surgical intervention

In the absence of a pronounced result in the use of medicinal, therapeutic methods of treatment, surgical treatment of the disease becomes mandatory. The types of surgical intervention include:

• sympathectomy - this method is based on cutting the nerve fibers that are responsible for the occurrence of vasospasms. Usually, such treatment is prescribed in the early stages of the pathological process, the patient thus feels a marked relief: the feeling of spasms in the legs decreases, soreness disappears, in view of better blood circulation, the temperature in the skin of the legs normalizes;
• shunting is the most progressive method of treatment, which consists in sewing an additional vessel that bypasses the affected area and allows improving circulation in the legs;
• removal of the affected part of the vessel or artery;
• microsurgical intervention, which is aimed at increasing the lumen of blood vessels;
• removal of the site with dry gangrene;
• with the development of moist gangrene is mandatory to remove the greater part of the limb - it is desirable to try to save the knee joint, which will allow for further prosthetics of the leg.

However, the best method is to carry out preventive measures, which to a large extent allow to maintain leg health.

Folk methods

Obliterating endarteritis of the vessels in the lower extremities, accompanied by severe soreness of the calf muscles and feet, with the help of proven methods of folk medicine are treated with the aim of relieving pain and spasms. For this, various herbal preparations are usually used, from which infusions and decoctions are prepared.

• For example, the collection helps to reduce soreness. Take 20 grams of peppermint, lavender, lemon balm, 10 g of hawthorn and datura grass, crushed and filled with a glass of boiling water. After infusion, the carefully filtered infusion is used for oral administration 3 times a day.

• Collection for removal of spasms of leg muscles. In equal proportions, mistletoe, thyme, hawthorn fruits are taken and poured cold water( 1 glass).In a water bath, the mixture is boiled for 15 minutes, after infusion( 40 minutes), it is filtered and taken twice a day before meals.

Foot baths should be used to reduce pain in the feet and improve blood circulation in them, for example, a bath with infusion of hay helps to keep feet warm, improve well-being and prevent deterioration of blood circulation and supply of foot tissues with nutrients and oxygen.

Prevention of

As a preventive measure for the possibility of obliterating endarteritis, the following can be proposed:

• active position, including regular foot and body massage, exercise, nutrition, providing all body tissues with necessary substances,
• keeping and maintaining comfortable temperature in the legs, suppression of supercooling,
• no injuries to feet and feet,
• constant thorough foot hygiene.

Preventive examination, taking vitamin medications and calling a doctor should also be attributed to effective preventive measures. The absence of stress, the ability to resolve various situations without disruption and the absence of harmful, health-destroying habits, should become the norm for preventing obliterating endarteritis of the vessels.

Care for obliterating endarteritis of lower extremity vessels

When this disease is discovered, several basic rules for the care of the patient should be observed:

1. thorough hygiene of the feet;
2. warming feet and feet;
3. exclusion of narrow and tight shoes;
4. no injuries to the legs.

Calm psychological situation, lack of nervous tension, regular walking at a slow pace and following the instructions of a doctor will help to stabilize the patient's condition faster.

Complications of

If, in the presence of symptoms of the disease, no visit has been made to the doctor and the obliterating endarteritis of the vessels has not been detected in a timely manner, then a rapid transition to subsequent stages of the disease with a gradual worsening of symptoms is likely.

The most serious consequence of untimely diagnosis will be surgical intervention and limb amputation.

The following video will again remind you why it is worth to give up smoking and what is "tobacco gangrene":

Forecast

The preservation of the lower extremities with obliterating endarteritis of the vessels is possible with observance of all prescriptions by the doctor and timely diagnosis of the disease.

A positive prognosis is given when the disease has not passed to the final stage and is subject to correction: an increase in the period of remission and a decrease in manifestations.