The effects of short-term use of compression stockings on health related quality of life in patients with chronic venous insufficiency

Abstract

[Purpose] This study was aimed to analyse the effects of short-term use of compression stockings (CS) on symptoms and QoL in patients with Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI). [Subjects and Methods] Based on the CEAP classification C2 and C3, 117 patients with CVI were enrolled in this study. The participants were divided into two groups. The control group refused to use CS, however, was advised to do exercises and take skin care whereas the CS group used CS and performed exercise. The data were collected by using Nottingham Health Profile (NHP), Venous Insufficiency Epidemiological and Economic Study (VEINES-QoL/Sym) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) at baseline and after four weeks of treatment and compared within and in between groups. [Results] The comparison of pre- and post-treatment differences between groups was statistically significant for all parameters. In the study group, pre- and post-treatment scores for each parameter were significantly different. However, elevated scores in the control group suggested worsening of the illness. [Conclusion] This study established that short-term use of CS in patients with CVI significantly improved disease specific and general QoL by reducing venous symptoms. Further studies with larger sample size are necessary to confirm these findings.

Evaluation of quality of life after minimally invasive varicose vein treatment

“…[8,22] The use of compression stocking decreases the clinical severity of the disease and increases the QoL. [8,40] The present study revealed that patients who regularly used compression stocking after the minimally invasive procedure felt better, and their complaints of pain and edema decreased. However, almost half of the patients did not use compression stockings regularly because they found them irritating.…”

The impact of compression garments on the quality of life in patients with chronic venous disease

“…Studies by Özdemir et al [13] confirmed that even short-term (4-week) compression therapy might improve QoL, which was linked with the diminishment of 'venous symptoms'. Charles [14] studied the effect of lower leg ulceration and compression therapy on the QoL of 65 patients by the use of the SF-36 questionnaire.…”

“…Psychological problems are common in patients with CVD, most often taking the form of anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and social exclusion [12]. These issues are often ignored during traditional therapeutic procedures [13][14][15], whereas the full knowledge about the patient and their attitude to the disease and to the proposed treatment has a tremendous influence on maintaining the patient's compliance [10]. In this study, we observed that regular, properly performed short-term compression therapy significantly improved QoL in all its aspects in patients suffering from CVD.…”

“…The questions describe the functioning and QoL of the patient in terms of perceived pain (questions 1-4), physical acuity (questions 5-7, 9), social functioning (questions 8, 10, 11), and psychological condition (questions [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. According to the QoL research guidelines from 1996 [8], each of the 20 questions receives points on the Likert scale, ranging from 1 to 5.…”

Limitação do VEINES QOL/SYM em discriminar a gravidade da insuficiência venosa crônica

“…Quality of life is subjective and multidimensional and is considered an important outcome for assessing the impact that CVI has on people's lives, 18 for evaluating the efficacy of treatments, 19,20 and for monitoring the progress of their health conditions. 20 A study by Özdemir et al, 21 attempted to evaluate the effect of compression stockings on symptoms and quality of life in 117 patients with CVI at CEAP classes 2 and 3, divided into a control group (exercises) and an intervention group (compression stockings and exercises). This study found that the VEINES score was capable of detecting statistically significant differences after treatment, both in the control group and in the intervention group, but did not detect differences between the groups.…”