Diseases related to nerves are often seen in the elderly. But the youth of 20 and 30 years of age who continuously work sitting in front of laptop or desktop are also falling prey to nerve related diseases. Serious diseases like varicose veins, venous reflux and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) are no longer limited to the elderly only. According to recent reports, there has been an increase of about 30% in these diseases in men aged 25 to 45 years in the last few years. Working at one place for long hours and the stress of urban life is now making the nerves of the youth ‘old’.
What is this nerve disease?
Our veins act as an important pump in the body. Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart throughout the body, while veins carry that blood back to the heart. This work in the legs happens against gravity. For this, there are ‘one-way valves’ in the veins. When these valves become weak, blood begins to pool in the legs instead of returning to the heart, causing the veins to swell and twist. Dr. Avik Bhattacharya, Director and Head of the Department of Interventional Radiology, CK Birla Hospitals, said, “Vein diseases include problems related to the veins of the legs such as chronic venous insufficiency and varicose veins.At the same time, blood gets accumulated in the veins of the legs because the pressure increases. This happens when the valves in the veins become weak or damaged, causing blood to flow in the opposite direction. “This causes blood to stagnate in the veins or the veins become swollen.”
Alarm bells: Do not mistake ‘normal fatigue’
Youngsters often ignore the pain or heaviness in their legs, considering it as ‘tiredness throughout the day’. But according to experts, swelling around the ankles, muscle cramps at night, burning sensation in the legs or blue veins, all these are the initial symptoms of venous disease. If not taken care of in time, it can take the form of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), in which a blood clot forms inside the veins. If this clot reaches the lungs, it can also be fatal.
The problem of varicose veins arises from the imbalance of Vata dosha.
IT and corporate lifestyle: the biggest villain
Experts believe that the biggest reason behind this change is our ‘sedentary lifestyle’. Professionals in fields like IT, finance and consulting sit for 8 to 12 hours a day. When the muscles of the legs are not active for a long time, blood circulation slows down. Apart from this, being stuck in traffic for hours, dehydration, irregular sleep and increasing obesity are adding fuel to this fire.
“Young boys and girls have always been affected by nerve disease; in the past, it was not diagnosed at an early age due to lack of knowledge and proper diagnostic tests.” – Dr. Avik Bhattacharya, Interventional Radiology Head, CK Birla Hospitals
