A Study on Prevalence and Risk Factors for Varicose Veins in Nurses at a University Hospital

Abstract

BackgroundLower-limb varicose veins (VVs) are common and known to have a higher prevalence among people who work in occupations requiring prolonged standing. In the Republic of Korea, however, VV-related occupational factors have seldom been examined. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of VVs among nurses, an occupational group considered to be at high risk of VVs, and determine the occupational risk factors of prolonged standing.MethodsBetween March and August 2014, a questionnaire survey coupled with Doppler ultrasonography was conducted on the nurses working at a university hospital.ResultsA total of 414 nurses participated in the survey and diagnostic testing. From the survey analysis and test results, the prevalence of VVs in nurses was estimated to be 16.18%. Significant factors for venous reflux were age [odds ratio (OR) = 1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.03–1.10], pregnancy (OR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.17–3.94), and delivery (OR = 2.02, 95% CI = 1.08–3.78). The statistical significance of these factors was verified after risk adjustment for sociodemographic factors (OR = 3.40, 95% CI = 1.27–9.09).ConclusionFactors significantly associated with venous reflux were increasing age and prolonged working hours (≥ 4 hours) in a standing position (OR = 2.80, 95% CI = 1.08–7.25), even after risk adjustment for sociodemographic factors. This study is significant in that an objective diagnosis of VVs preceded the analysis of the risk factors for VV incidence, thus verifying objectively that VVs are associated with occupations requiring prolonged hours of working in a standing position.

Varicose Veins: Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors among Women of Childbearing Age Attending a Primary Health Care Unit in Cairo, Egypt

“…In contrast, the prevalence in the present study was higher than that in a study performed with nurses working at a university hospital in Pusan, republic of Korea, in which 16.5% of the women suffered from varicose veins. (11) However, a much higher prevalence (78%) of varicose veins was found in another study among female nurses in the general hospital in Amol, Iran.…”

“…(13,20) Other studies found eczema, skin trophic changes and lipodermatosclerosis, and these skin conditions are usually complications due to late diagnosis of chronic venous insufficiency and ulceration, making a cure difficult. (15,18,19) As a result of these findings, it is important to discover varicose veins early before complications occur; therefore, screening and in Korea, who used compression stockings for prevention and treatment purposes (11) , while illiterate women (94.4%) than among nonworkers and educated women. This finding may be due to the fact that workers are exposed to long period of standing, which is considered a risk factor.…”

Standing and sitting postures at work and symptoms of venous insufficiency – results from questionnaires and a Doppler ultrasound study

“…The primary cause of the disease and its consequences is the lack of prevention due to insufficient knowledge about the risk factors, which primarily include age, the female gender, positive family history, congenital anomalies of the veins, pregnancy, obesity, constipation, hormonal changes, high ambient temperature as well as long stay in a sitting or standing position and is related to the work performed [5,6]. A significant relationship between postures adopted at work and the development and/or exacerbation of chronic venous insufficiency symptoms has been the subject of many scientific studies [7][8][9][10]. These works usually concerned the elderly.…”

A clinical study on varicose veins of lower limb, surgical management and functional outcome at a tertiary care hospital of South India

“…Male predominance with 66.25% of males in our study was observed which is similar to the findings of many Indian studies, but studies conducted in western countries report female dominance which is due to the scenario that females in india are not exposed to high risk of work which involve prolonged standing and physical stress due to cultural and socioeconomic conditions. 4 In the present study, majority of the cases (40%) were in the age group of 41 to 50 years with a mean age of 43.40 years which is on par with the findings in the study of Mishra et al from india and McGuckin et al 5,6 As most of the studies universally reported, dilated veins was the most common symptom in our study also with 85% of cases as compared to Rudofsky et al with 90% and Shankar et al with 94% in their studies. 7,8 Observation of varicose veins in several members of the same family suggest a clear hereditary factor as cause of varicose veins, in our study 30% of the cases had a definitive family history which is similar to the reports of Staniszewska et al who conducted a study among the European population and reported significant association between varicose veins and family history.…”