Population-Based Epidemiologic Study in Venous Diseases in Germany – Prevalence, Comorbidity, and Medical Needs in a Cohort of 19,104 Workers

Abstract

Introduction

Data on the prevalence of chronic venous disorders (CVD) at the national level in Germany are scarce.

Methods

We performed a population-based observational study based on clinical examinations, personal history, and technical examinations. Data were collected from 2006 to 2015. Descriptive data analysis was done to determine CVD and chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) prevalence and occurrence of potential risk factors. Chi-squared tests were performed to estimate the influence of risk factors on the prevalence of CVD.

Results

In total, 19,104 employees from different branches were included. The majority of the examined people were doing office work (n = 8157; 80.2%). A total of 4038 persons (21.1%) show at least one sign of CVD. At least one sign of CVI could be found in 679 persons (3.6%). Being female was found to be protective with an odds ratio of 0.66 (95% CI 0.59–0.73).

Conclusion

There is clear indication for active venous treatment in 22.3% of the adult working population in Germany.

Keywords:

• venous insufficiency
• epidemiology
• prevalence

Abbreviations

CVD, chronic venous disorders; CVI, chronic venous insufficiency; CEAP, Classification of Venous Disorders; BMI, body mass index.

Data Sharing Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to restrictions e.g. their containing information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Mr Hagen Heigel for supporting this study in the screening phase. The authors thank the Scientific Communication Team of the IVDP, in particular Sara Tiedemann and Mario Gehoff, for copy editing. The abstract of this paper was presented at the World Congress of Dermatology 2019 as a poster presentation with interim findings. The poster’s abstract was published in the Abstract Book of WCD to upload under following link: Abstracts | Abstract Book | WCD2019 | A new ERA for global Dermatology (wcd2019milan-dl.org).

Disclosure

M Augustin has received a research grant and speaker honoraria from BSN medical GmbH. G Bruning has received travel grants from Bauerfeind AG. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this work.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by an unrestricted research grant from BSN medical GmbH, Hamburg, Germany. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.