Our objective was to study the prevalence and clinical pattern of chronic venous disease (CVD) in the Pakistani population. This was a multicentre cross-sectional study in which 100 primary care physicians examined 3000 subjects. The study population was aged 18-95 years (mean ± SD = 39 ± 13.2) comprised 47.4% women and 52.6% men. The prevalence of CVD was 34.8%, being significantly higher (P < 0.04) among men (36.4%) than women (33.0%). The maximum prevalence was of C3 (36.7%), followed by C2 (15.8%). The most frequent symptom was pain in the legs (59.2%) followed by heavy legs (42.7%) and night cramps (34.4%). The prevalence of symptoms increased with age but was similarly distributed between men and women. Family history of CVD, blood clots in veins and lack of exercise were significant risk factors. The roles of age or gender as risk factors could not be established. In conclusion, the prevalence and presentation of CVD in Pakistan is similar to most other countries.
Keywords: chronic venous insufficiency; prevalence; risk factor; varicose veins; venous ulcers.