Capillary Fragility

A condition of fragility in the capillaries more commonly known as capillary fragility can affect a person when the smallest blood vessels in the human body, the capillaries weaken to a great degree. The condition can be a signal for a significant and severe underlying problem in a person that exist in a person, though serious complications do not usually occur in a person affected with capillary fragility. For example, if bleeding occurs in the skin, than the affected person must make sure that it is checked by a physical for proper diagnosis and treatment as other problems can be involved in such cases. Bruising occurs readily on the skin and small spots of bleeding affected areas occur all over the skin due to the weakened capillaries. Over the course of a few days the skin can turn a yellow tinge or even dark brown from the bruises that initially look like blue to purple-colored areas patches all over the skin. The capillary structure in the body is also reinforced and structurally supported by the consumption of plenty of vegetables and fruits in the diet; these will provide all the essential nutrients necessary to capillary formation and renewal.

Supplements and herbs

Capillary fragility is sometimes aggravated by the incidence of severe deficiency of vitamin C-during the condition known as scurvy, it is however rare in occurrence because of this condition but has a definite connection to it in many ways. So, it still remains unknown whether people without scurvy can be helped or not by the supplementation with the vitamin C; capillary fragility in patients already suffering from scurvy can be helped by supplements of vitamin C. Lowered levels of the vitamin C in the bodies of patients undergoing dialysis procedures has been known to happen and hence such procedures may lead to the development of capillary fragility in the affected patient; in connection to this phenomenon, people with capillary fragility and who also happened to be dialysis patients were given 50 milligrams of vitamin C daily, this research showed no increased capillary fragility in the body of such patients. If supervision by a doctor is not an option, the normal supplemental level of vitamin C for people with kidney problems and for those undergoing dialysis can be about 100 milligrams of the vitamin every day during the treatment regimen.

Since diabetics typically have lower levels of the vitamin C in the body compared to normal individuals, a preliminary study has suggested that, supplements of the vitamin C can reduce capillary weakness in people with diabetes. Elderly individuals can also benefit from this supplement-a study conducted double-blind on a group of elderly people, showed improvement in the condition of the elderly patients, all of these patient suffered from a low level of vitamin C and capillary fragility; supplementation was done with one gram of vitamin C every day during the treatment period.

The weakened capillaries in the body may be helped and restored by tissue strengthening compounds called flavonoids. Collagen is one of the most significant components of the capillary wall, and supplementation with these flavonoids led to the strengthening of the capillaries in test tube and animal studies, the flavonoids strengthened the walls of the capillaries and helped in the restoration of the important tissue substance collagen. People with hypertension and or diabetes who also suffered from capillary fragility were helped by supplementation with proanthocyanidins - these are a class of flavonoids extracted from seed of grapes, supplementation was done at 150 milligrams daily, these substances increased the capillary strength in preliminary study done on people afflicted with capillary fragility. Symptoms of capillary fragility were also lowered in some patients during a double-blind experiment, where supplementation was done using a combination of these 2 flavonoids-the first diosminat a dosage strength of 900 milligrams daily and the second hesperidin at 100 milligrams daily for a total treatment period lasting six weeks. Capillary fragility is also treated through the vitamin C use along with the various classes of plant flavonoids, especially compounds like rutin, quercetin, and hesperidin; these are the substance commonly recommended to treat capillary fragility in most patients. People with capillary fragility are also often recommended 400 milligrams of quercetin or rutin thrice daily or one gram of flavonoids from citrus fruit the same number of times each day as treatment by doctors.