TY - JOUR
T1 - Varicose veins of the lower limbs and venous capacitance in postmenopausal women
T2 - Relationship with obesity
AU - Iannuzzi, Arcangelo
AU - Panico, Salvatore
AU - Ciardullo, Anna V.
AU - Bellati, Cristina
AU - Cioffi, Vincenzo
AU - Iannuzzo, Gabriella
AU - Celentano, Egidio
AU - Berrino, Franco
AU - Rubba, Paolo
PY - 2002/11/1
Y1 - 2002/11/1
N2 - Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between body mass index (BMI), venous capacitance, and clinical evidence of varicose veins after adjustment for sex hormones in postmenopausal women. Methods: This study group of the DIANA (DIet and ANdrogens) project (a randomized controlled trial on the effect of some dietary changes on sex hormone pattern in women with elevated androgenic hormone levels in Italy) was comprised of 104 healthy vollunteer postmenopausal women, aged 48 to 65 years. The main outcome measures were physical examination to determine the presence and severity of varicose veins and plethysmographic measurement of lower limb venous capacitance and outflow. Results: Women in the upper quartile of BMI (> 30 kg/m 2) showed a positive association with clinical evidence of varicose veins (odds ration, 5.8; 95% CI, 1.2 to 28.2) after adjustment for age, estradiol, testosterone, and sex hormone binding globulin. No association was found between BMI and plethysmographic measurements of venous parameters. Conclusion: Obesity is associated with clinical evidence of varicose veins independently from the influence of sex hormones in postmenopausal women and is not associated with venous capacitance. Increased body weight increases the risk of varicose veins.
AB - Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between body mass index (BMI), venous capacitance, and clinical evidence of varicose veins after adjustment for sex hormones in postmenopausal women. Methods: This study group of the DIANA (DIet and ANdrogens) project (a randomized controlled trial on the effect of some dietary changes on sex hormone pattern in women with elevated androgenic hormone levels in Italy) was comprised of 104 healthy vollunteer postmenopausal women, aged 48 to 65 years. The main outcome measures were physical examination to determine the presence and severity of varicose veins and plethysmographic measurement of lower limb venous capacitance and outflow. Results: Women in the upper quartile of BMI (> 30 kg/m 2) showed a positive association with clinical evidence of varicose veins (odds ration, 5.8; 95% CI, 1.2 to 28.2) after adjustment for age, estradiol, testosterone, and sex hormone binding globulin. No association was found between BMI and plethysmographic measurements of venous parameters. Conclusion: Obesity is associated with clinical evidence of varicose veins independently from the influence of sex hormones in postmenopausal women and is not associated with venous capacitance. Increased body weight increases the risk of varicose veins.
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U2 - 10.1067/mva.2002.128315
DO - 10.1067/mva.2002.128315
M3 - Article
C2 - 12422106
AN - SCOPUS:0036846127
VL - 36
SP - 965
EP - 968
JO - Journal of Vascular Surgery
JF - Journal of Vascular Surgery
SN - 0741-5214
IS - 5
ER -