RISK-FACTORS FOR CHRONIC VENOUS INSUFFICIENCY - A DUAL CASE-CONTROL STUDY

Purpose: Most epidemiologic studies on chronic venous insufficiency (C VI) are cross-sectional surveys that suggest potential risk factors by describing their population. However, these relationships could be du e to the CVT population's older age. We performed a dual case-control study with multivariate analysis to address this issue. Methods: Ninet y-three patients with venous ulcers, 129 patients with varicose veins (VV), and 113 general population control patients from two hospitals w ere interviewed by use of a standardized questionnaire covering medica l history, patient demographics, medications, and lifestyle questions. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to compare the groups. Results: Univariate analyses showed CVI to be characterized by severa l factors, many of which were found to be age related after multivaria te analysis. Age-adjusted relationships for CVI include male sex and o besity. Histories of serious leg injury or phlebitis were important as sociations resulting in a 2.4-fold and 25.7-fold increase in risk for CVI, respectively. After adjusting for age, subjects with VV tend to b e younger and female, to more frequently have a history of phlebitis, and to report a family history of VV more frequently than control subj ects. Conclusions: Many of the previously suggested associations found with CVI are in reality due to this population's greater age. Patient s with CVI are older, male, obese, have a history of phlebitis, and ha ve a history of serious leg injury. These results suggest that a prior deep vein thrombosis, either clinical or subclinical, may be a predis posing factor for CVI.