Today, many are wondering if their legs turn blue, what does it mean.
The medical term for a pathological condition when a person turns blue in the legs is cyanosis. This phenomenon in most cases is usually caused by a lack of oxygen in the blood. Sometimes the cyanotic color of the legs is accompanied by swelling, in this case, some diseases, including thrombosis in deep veins, can also be factors in the occurrence of the phenomenon.
Causes of blue limbs
The main reasons that the legs turn blue are quite serious and require urgent medical attention. However, some factors in the development of this pathological condition are not so serious and can be eliminated by using a variety of home remedies.
One of the most common and least serious factors that turn blue legs is the low ambient temperature. If the legs turn blue when a person is cold, the cause of this phenomenon is most often the development of Raynaud's disease. It is a serious medical problem that often occurs in smokers when the limbs first become pathologically white and then blue, especially when exposed to low temperatures.
The reason here lies in the properties of blood circulation. When a person freezes, blood begins to flow more intensively to vital organs in order to keep them warm. Moreover, a decrease in blood circulation is observed in the limbs. If a person notices that his legs turn blue at low temperatures, he needs to try to warm up slowly.
Most of the causes of blue legs are quite serious and require the help of specialists.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 33,000 deaths a year are caused by accidental poisoning. And one of the most common symptoms of poisoning is blue legs. In particular, cyanosis develops due to cyanide poisoning. Cyanide affects the process of interaction of the body with oxygen, provoking the development of blue limbs.
Congenital heart disease
Some babies experience severe oxygen starvation at birth, sometimes babies are born with blue skin color. The common name for this pathological phenomenon is “blue baby syndrome”. A completely blue body or only legs can be caused by a disease known as cyanotic heart disease. Other cardiac pathologies are associated with cyanosis in adulthood.
Some congenital heart defects indicate that the right heart is directed to the left side, not reaching the lungs, in order to get more oxygen. As a result, the skin becomes blue.
Congenital heart defects are observed at birth and require professional help.
What else can the situation say when the legs turn blue?
Atherosclerosis
A condition that also provokes blueing of the legs is atherosclerosis, which is characterized by the formation in the lumen of blood vessels of cholesterol and calcium plaques, which impede the flow of blood. As studies in Munich in 2008 showed, thickening and hardening of the arteries leads to less oxygen to the legs, as a result of which the patient's fingers turn blue first and then the general limbs turn blue.
Atherosclerosis is treated with diet food, exercise, and specialized medications.
Asthma
Asthma can cause a situation in which the legs are swollen and blue. This disease limits the flow of oxygen to the lungs, and an acute lack of oxygen in many cases causes a bluish tint of the skin. Asthma can develop amid allergies, many heart ailments, etc. Why does asthma turn blue legs? The answer to this question is that with a lack of oxygen, blood ceases to fully enter the remote tissues of the body, and cyanosis is observed in the region of the limbs, most often, the lower ones.
Emphysema
According to numerous statistical and clinical studies, emphysema is the fourth leading cause of death in patients in the United States; it is primarily associated with smoking. As with asthma, a lack of oxygen is what causes the skin of the limbs to acquire a blue tint. If there are wheezing in the lungs and expectoration of blood or mucus, and at the same time acquire a bluish color of the leg, then this may be emphysema, which is a disease of the respiratory organs, characterized by the expansion of air spaces in the distal bronchioles. People suffering from this pathological phenomenon are treated with oxygen and medications.
What does it mean if the toes turn blue?
Deep Vein Thrombosis
This is a condition in which thrombi (blood clots) form in the lumens of the veins, which impede the normal flow of blood. In medical practice, leg vein thrombosis is more common than venous thrombosis of other locations.
Blood clots can form not only in the deep, but also in the saphenous veins, however, this kind of thrombosis rarely causes serious problems. In contrast to a pathology such as thrombophlebitis, deep vein thrombosis requires urgent care, since it is associated with the risk of developing life-threatening complications, for example, thrombus progression to the heart.
For the development of this disease, several factors are necessary:
- damage to the inner layer of the venous wall due to exposure to a chemical, mechanical, infectious or allergic agent;
- changes in the blood coagulation system;
- slowed blood flow.
In some circumstances, blood density increases dramatically. If there are obstacles on the walls of the vein for its normal movement, the likelihood of blood clots increases. A small blood clot forming on the venous wall causes an inflammatory process and damage to the wall, which causes the development of other blood clots.
The occurrence of a phenomenon such as deep vein thrombosis contributes to stagnation in the veins of the legs. The reason for this stagnation becomes a sedentary lifestyle for a long time.
Other triggers for the development of deep thrombosis are:
- injuries
- surgical interventions;
- physical stress;
- infectious pathologies;
- prolonged immobility after surgery, with therapeutic and neurological diseases;
- the postpartum period;
- taking hormonal oral contraceptives;
- the formation of malignant tumors;
- DIC syndrome.
The risk of this disease increases with prolonged stationary position with legs down. As a result of this, congestion develops in the lower extremities, which leads to deep vein thrombosis.
The first thing that happens when this pathology occurs is that the legs or one limb become very blue. If the patient suddenly notices that his leg is swollen and his fingers or the entire skin of the limb become blue, an urgent need to contact the clinic. These symptoms are clear signs of deep vein thrombosis.
And what does it mean if the leg turns blue and hurts?
Buerger's disease
Buerger's disease is thromboangiitis obliterans - narrowing of vessels of medium and small sizes in the region of the lower extremities due to a certain inflammatory process. In some cases, pathology can occur in the coronary, visceral and cerebral arteries. It is traditionally believed that this pathology affects mainly smoking men from 20-40 years old. Recently, however, cases of the development of the disease in women have become more frequent, due to the spread of smoking among them.
Despite the assumptions of clinicians, the etiology of the disease is not fully understood: there are indications of the effects on the body of patients with hereditary factors and the presence of antibodies against laminin, elastin and collagen in them. The main symptom of the pathology is cyanosis of the legs, their swelling and soreness.
It happens that the blue toe turns blue. What is this talking about?
Diabetes
Diabetes is a very common cause of blue legs. People who suffer from type 2 diabetes are several times more likely to observe blueing of their limbs, due to their cardiovascular disorders caused by the underlying disease. Diabetes can contribute to narrowing of blood vessels with high blood sugar. Therefore, impaired blood circulation can lead to the fact that the legs turn blue.
What to do with this pathology?
Treatment methods
Therapeutic methods to eliminate the blue tint of the legs are aimed at treating the underlying disease that triggered this pathological phenomenon. Therapy in each case proceeds differently. If blue legs are observed with insufficient blood supply, medications that thin the blood and rubbing are prescribed. Atherosclerosis is treated with drugs whose action is aimed at dissolving atherosclerotic plaques in the vessels.
And if your toes turn blue, what should I do?
If a person has blueness of the legs with thrombosis, surgery is indicated to immobilize the thrombus and numerous drugs that prevent blood density. If diabetes is the cause of the blue color of the legs, a whole range of therapeutic measures is needed - normalizing blood sugar levels, thinning the blood, and preventing blood vessel blockage.