2020 Volume 31 Issue 3 Pages 95-99
Several large-scale epidemiological studies have reported that the incidence of peripheral artery disease (PAD) increases over time in patients with varicose veins, but the association between varicose veins and PAD is not realized in clinical practice. In this study, 421 patients with varicose veins, who were over 65 years of age, were examined to determine the relationship between severity of varicose veins and atherosclerosis parameters. Their preoperative venous filling index (VFI), and atherosclerosis parameters like ankle-brachial index (ABI) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) were measured. There were no significant correlations seen between VFI and ABI, and between VFI and PWV in male or female. The patients were divided in two groups based on the Clinical, Etiological, Anatomical, and Pathophysiological classification (CEAP), namely, mild (C2-C3) and severe (C4-C6) groups. The values of ABI and PWV of the two groups were compared, and no significant differences were observed. In addition, ABI and PWV were also compared between the operated limb group and the healthy limb group in 238 patients who had undergone unilateral surgery. Again, no significant difference was found between the groups. Therefore, no clear association was found between varicose vein severity and atherosclerosis parameters, and the confounding factors between varicose veins and the risk of developing PAD shown in the epidemiological study could not be determined. However, elucidating the related mechanisms and confounding factors is important in daily clinical practice, and further research is desired.
