Thrombophlebitis during pregnancy: features, symptoms and treatment

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Pregnancy is accompanied not only by joyful moments and impressions, but also by ailments, as well as concomitant diseases. These include thrombophlebitis during pregnancy, how dangerous is it, how to treat and what are the causes of the development of the disease? We will answer all these and other questions in this article.

What is thrombophlebitis?

This is a vascular disease of the veins, which in pregnant women most often affects the lower extremities. This is a more severe form of the disease than varicose veins. If thrombophlebitis is not treated in time, it can develop into thrombosis, which can be fatal.

The danger of the disease lies in inflammation of the veins and circulatory disorders, resulting in the formation of blood clots. It is especially important to diagnose and treat thrombophlebitis during pregnancy in time, because this category of patients is more vulnerable. In addition, treatment must be prescribed such that it does not harm the fetus, because inotherwise, it can cause disorders and pathologies. The main thing to remember is that with timely diagnosis and treatment, risks can be reduced to a minimum.

Causes of disease development

Thrombophlebitis during pregnancy is quite common in women, this is due to changes that occur in the body from the moment of conception. Blood thickens significantly and pressure decreases, which means that veins are at risk, especially those located in the lower extremities and small pelvis. The main reason is the appearance of clots in the blood, they begin to clog the veins. The degree of blood viscosity is influenced by a number of reasons:

1. Heredity. If there is a predisposition to such a disease, then for sure it will accompany a woman during pregnancy.
2. Low activity for long periods of time or no mobility at all.
3. Anemia before pregnancy.
4. Injury, especially lower limb fractures.
5. An increase in blood clotting that was detected before pregnancy and has not been corrected.
6. Decrease in immunity, regardless of the reasons for this decrease.
7. Hormonal changes.
8. Problems with blood vessels or the heart.
9. Presence of infectious diseases.

We named a number of factors that provoke the appearance of varicose veins, if left untreated, the disease will soon become more severe. We put genetic predisposition at the head, becausethat hereditary thrombophlebitis during pregnancy appears in 8 cases out of 10. It is necessary to carry out disease prevention in order not to fall into the risk group.

Acute symptoms

Symptomatology depends on the severity of the disease - acute and chronic stages, as well as on which veins are affected - superficial or deep. Consider the symptoms that directly indicate the disease in general, as well as in the acute stage:

• The appearance of aching pain in the calf area, severe swelling and pain when squeezing the affected areas. They can sometimes be red and hot. The skin becomes denser, and a convex vein appears in the affected area. These signs are the first and indicate the presence of thrombophlebitis during pregnancy.
• The acute stage in a deep vein is accompanied by severe pain and swelling again, the body temperature rises sharply, the general condition noticeably worsens.
• The acute course of the disease with damage to the superficial vein causes fever, swelling and pain, as well as induration during palpation. It is worth checking the lymph nodes, in most cases they can increase, and the temperature reaches 38 degrees.

If you have found at least one of the listed symptoms, you should consult a doctor in charge of pregnancy. It is he who, through the tests and blood tests, with the help of ultrasound, will determine the presence of the disease, its degree and variety. Thrombophlebitis of the lower extremities during pregnancy is a seriousa phenomenon that needs to be treated in time to avoid negative consequences for both mother and baby.

Symptomatics in the chronic stage

The chronic stage is no less dangerous than the acute one, but the symptoms are not so spontaneous, they do not appear abruptly, but gradually develop, increasing in strength and frequency. What are the symptoms of thrombophlebitis during pregnancy at the chronic stage? As in the case of the acute stage, we will divide the situations depending on the location of the vein:

• A chronic deep vein disease is characterized by periods of exacerbation. In this case, edema is again observed, they become larger with physical activity - walking or standing for a long time. If the period of exacerbation has subsided and the stage of remission has come, then this will not bring any discomfort to the mother.
• A chronic disease that affects a superficial vein is characterized by the appearance of a red spot at the site of inflammation, as well as limited swelling. In especially neglected and complex cases, fever and sharp pain appear at the site of inflammation.

Factors that increase the risk of disease

As we mentioned above, the main factor in the appearance of thrombophlebitis during pregnancy is poor heredity. But even in those girls who do not have a predisposition at the genetic level, the disease occurs. Let's identify the factors that provoke the onset of the disease:

1. Obesity or overweight, both before pregnancy and its rapid set during it.
2. Sedentary lifestyle.
3. Hormonal intakefunds, even if they were used by the course before pregnancy.
4. Preeclampsia as a form of complication when carrying a baby.

If you exclude the above causes of the disease and these factors, you can warn yourself against this negative phenomenon, which can spoil the joy of pregnancy.

How is the diagnosis made?

First of all, you need to visit a doctor and describe in detail to him all the sensations and ailments that a woman experiences in a position. The doctor collects a medical history and checks heredity, sends the pregnant woman for blood tests and examines her.

First of all, you need to take a blood test for coagulation with the measurement of the prothrombin index, D-dimer. After that, there is a need for echography of the veins located in the lower extremities. These studies will show the fact of the disease.

If the presence of the disease is confirmed, it is necessary to determine its location and the size of the thrombus, as well as the tone of the walls of the veins. For this, additional research is being carried out. Based on this, treatment is already being prescribed.

Treatment. Classic method

Remember, self-treatment is prohibited, you need to see a doctor!

Based on the results of the research conducted by the doctor, the stage of the disease is determined, as well as the type of the affected vein, the location of the disease and its extent. Based on this, either the classical or surgical method of treatment is applied.

The classic waytreatment of thrombophlebitis of the lower extremities during pregnancy does not provide for hospitalization of the pregnant woman. The therapy includes the following steps:

• Assignment of bed rest, depending on individual indicators, its duration is determined.
• Rubbing the affected areas with ointments and products that are allowed for pregnant women.
• Apply compresses within 2 or 3 days of starting treatment.
• Physiotherapy.
• If there is external inflammation, then antibiotic therapy should be carried out.
• Applying warm compresses to increase blood flow and circulation.
• Keeping the affected area elevated so that the blood does not stagnate.
• Bandaging the affected areas with special elastic bandages, the use of compression underwear.

Reviews of thrombophlebitis during pregnancy show that the care and support of a pregnant woman from a loved one is extremely important. After all, applying compresses and rubbing the limbs on your own is quite difficult, especially if the gestational age is already long. Also, moral support is always important: feeling love and care, a girl will recover faster.

Treatment through surgery

The use of this method is indicated in cases of deep vein damage, when it is pointless to act with superficial methods. The surgeon goes to work when the pregnant woman cannot move.

In such cases, an operation is performed, during which the specialist bandages the affected area,seals or pulls out a diseased vein (cuts it out and removes it along with surrounding tissues and fiber). If the disease is advanced or actively progressing, urgent hospitalization is required.

Danger of thrombophlebitis

Any illness or deviation from the normal state of a girl in position can affect the development of the baby. After analyzing the essence of the disease and its course in women in position, we note how dangerous thrombophlebitis is during pregnancy. Due to the presence of clots in the blood of a pregnant woman, blood vessels are clogged, which reduces the rate of blood flow to the placenta, which means that the fetus is not saturated with useful substances and oxygen. Oxygen starvation contributes to slowing down the development of the child and the general cessation of his existence, that is, death. In addition, vascular thrombosis in the mother's body causes the development of pathologies and diseases of the fetus, placental abruption can occur, as well as fetal fading and natural abortion, that is, miscarriage.

It is extremely important to examine a woman in the second half of the pregnancy, because just at this time the risk of the appearance and development of thrombophlebitis increases.

Prevention measures

Noting how thrombophlebitis affects pregnancy, we realized that this is an extremely negative phenomenon. It is better to take preventive measures and prevent the onset of the disease than to treat it. For prevention it is necessary:

1. A balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, excluding fried, spicy and s alty foods, as well assmoked.
2. In case of a deficiency of vitamins in the body of a girl, they must be taken in combination.
3. He althy daily routine - sleep at least 8 hours a day, walks in the fresh air, relaxation, as well as positive emotions.
4. Monitoring the state and tracking the dynamics of well-being. If the pregnancy becomes worse, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Thrombophlebitis during pregnancy is a very unpleasant phenomenon, so patients who have a predisposition are prescribed drugs with acetylsalicylic acid as a prophylaxis.

Conclusion

Pregnancy is a joyful and long-awaited process for many, which demonstrates a true miracle - a whole man grows out of a small cell. During these 9 months it is very important to be he althy. A disease such as thrombophlebitis during pregnancy often haunts women not only with a genetic predisposition, but also quite he althy. Therefore, you should be extremely attentive to your he alth, with the help of preventive measures, you can eliminate the disease in the bud.