Pattern of Chronic Venous Insufficiency among Patients Presenting to a Vascular Surgery Clinic in Low- to Middle-Income Countries (LMIC): A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective : To measure the pattern and severity of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) in patients presenting to a vascular surgery clinic in Pakistan. Materials and Methods : This cross-sectional study has examined patients presenting with CVI for the first time. Patients were assessed for severity of the disease using clinical, etiological, anatomical and pathological (CEAP) score and venous clinical severity score (VCSS). Patients were then divided into two groups depending on the severity of the disease: ‘mild/moderate’ CVI if the CEAP classification was ≤C3 or VCSS was <5 and ‘severe’ if CEAP classification was >3 or VCSS was ≥5. Both groups were then compared to determine the factors associated with the more ‘severe’ form of CVI. Results : During the study duration, 121 patients presented with CVI with mean age of 47.83±12.02 years; 74 (61.2%) were female. Mean body mass index of the patients was 32.49±18.3 kg/m 2 . Mean VCSS was 5.49±3.84, indicating most patients presented with the severe form of CVI. Field workers were determined to be three to five times more likely to present with severe CVI compared to housewives and office workers. Conclusion : Majority of the patients who presented to a tertiary care facility had the severe form of CVI. Thus, there is a need to raise awareness on this disease at community level.