Why should you act for your legs now?

You may be suffering from Chronic Venous Disease (CVD) without knowing it.
CVD is a chronic and progressive inflammatory condition caused by poor venous circulation.

What are the symptoms?

Some patients with CVD don’t have any symptoms at all. However, there are usually a wide variety of symptoms including:

• A feeling of heaviness and pain in the legs, especially at the end of the day, soothed by putting feet up or by walking
• Swelling in the legs, particularly around the ankles and calves
• Tingling or numbness
• Muscle cramps
• Itching, restlessness, etc

These symptoms are most commonly felt in the calves and tend to increase as the day goes on and during hot weather.

What are the consequences?

When the condition develops, and particularly if it is not treated, you may observe:

• The formation of visible varicose veins, often painful to begin with
• Followed by incapacitating complications, such as edema and serious skin complaints with changes to skin color, even resulting in the formation of skin ulcers

Who is affected?

This condition is more common than you may realize! Chronic venous insufficiency affects 8 out of 10 people in the world. While women are more likely to suffer from this condition, men can also be affected. Symptoms increase with age as veins lose their elasticity and do not contract as easily as we get older.

(Ref.: Rabe E et al.; Epidemiology of chronic venous disorders in geographically diverse populations: results from the Vein Consult Program. Int. Angiol 2012;31(2):105-15.)

Which factors contribute?

Your painful legs have many enemies! Several risk factors can be associated with the onset or worsening of venous disease symptoms.

• Some are the same for both genders:
  • Age
  • Genetics
  • Excess weight
  • Dietary factors
  • Long-term sedentary behavior
  • Working posture (prolonged seated or standing positions)
  • Keeping legs crossed
  • Heavy lifting (>10 kg for women, >25 kg for men)
  • Tight clothing (belts, tight trousers, corsets, girdles, tight boots, etc)
  • Heat
  • Smoking
  • Some sports exerting strong pressure on vein valves (tennis, squash, weightlifting, etc)
• Other factors are specifically female: due to hormonal changes (premenstrual period, contraceptive pill, number of pregnancies) the symptoms of Chronic Venous Disease are worsened.
• While others are due to professions requiring prolonged seated or standing positions, eg.: chef, hairdresser, cashier, driver, surgeon, storekeeper, administrative staff, health care staff, air hostess, etc

Make an appointment with your doctor or go to the nearest screening center
to discuss your symptoms today

WHERE CAN YOU FIND THE NEAREST

SCREENING CENTER?