SAN DIEGO – The annual incidence of new trunk varicose veins was 2.1% in adults during nearly 7 years of follow-up, results from a large study showed.
The findings come from a 6.6-year follow-up of patients in the Bonn Vein Study I, a population-based, cross-sectional study conducted in 2000. The study evaluated the incidence of chronic venous disorders in 1,350 men and 1,722 women aged 18-79 years in Bonn, Germany, and in two nearby rural townships. The Bonn Vein Study II, the current analysis, aimed to identify the incidence and risk factors for progression of preexisting chronic venous disease among those in the Bonn Vein Study I, Dr. Felizitas Pannier said at the annual meeting of the American Venous Forum.
Between August 2007 and October 2008, Dr. Eberhard Rabe, of the dermatology department at the University of Bonn, and his associate, Dr. Pannier, contacted all of the Bonn Vein Study I participants and asked them to answer a questionnaire and to undergo clinical examination including a duplex ultrasound. Of the original 3,072 participants, 1,978 responded.
During a mean follow-up of 6.6 years, the incidence of varicose veins was 2.1% per year, with no differences between men and women. The incidence rate increased with age: 1.1% per year for those younger than age 39, 2.0% per year for those aged 40-59, and 2.8% per year for those older than age 59.
The incidence of grade C6 insufficiency was 2% per year, with no differences between men and women. The incidence rate increased with age: 0.6% per year for those younger than age 39, 1.5% per year for those aged 40-59, and 3.3% per year for those older than age 59.
Dr. Pannier reported that over the 6.6 years of follow-up, the prevalence of varicose veins increased from 22.7% to 25.1%, while the prevalence of chronic venous insufficiency rose from 14.5% to 16.0%. She also noted that among participants who had grade C2 insufficiency (simple varicose veins) in the Bonn Vein I study, 19.8% progressed to higher C-classes (functional abnormalities) in the nonsaphenous varicose veins, while 31.8% progressed to higher C-classes in the saphenous varicose veins.
Multivariate analysis revealed that the significant risk factors for progression of venous disease were age (relative risk of 1.02 per year), obesity (RR 3.47), and a swelling sensation (RR 1.68).
Dr. Pannier said that neither she nor Dr. Rabe had any relevant financial disclosures.