Prevalence of primary chronic venous disease: the Bulgarian experience.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of and risk factors for chronic venous disease (CVD) in the Bulgarian adult population seeking medical help from general practitioners.

METHODS: The design was a cross-sectional descriptive survey. Each general practitioner (GP) enrolled 50 consecutive patients aged 18 and over attending for a routine consultation. A subsample of these patients was reappraised by a group of specialists to confirm the GPs diagnosis.

RESULTS: A total of 576 GPs selected 26 785 subjects to participate in the survey. In the GP survey, 11 724 subjects (44%) were found to be suffering from CVD. Specialist reappraisal of a subset of 373 subjects confirmed the initial diagnosis in 91.2% of cases. CVD was more prevalent in females (51%) than in males (32%) (P<0.0001) and prevalence increased with age and body mass index.

CONCLUSIONS: Heavy legs, pain in the legs, and a sensation of swelling were the most frequently reported symptoms. Varicose veins and telangiectasias were the most common signs in both males and females, but with a higher frequency of varicose veins in males and telangiectasias in females. Increasing age, pregnancy, and a positive family history were found to be risk factors for CVD.