[Heparan sulfate: efficacy and safety in patients with chronic venous insufficiency]

Fifty patients suffering from chronic venous disease were treated for 30 days with heparan sulphate 100 mg per os, b.i.d., or mesoglycan 50 mg per os, t.i.d., in a single blind random study. Both therapies led to a marked improvement in comparison to basal clinical values, but patients treated with heparan sulphate showed the greatest and most rapid regression of symptoms, associated with a significant improvement in plethysmographic index of capacitance and venous flow. Patients treated with heparan sulphate also showed an increased fibrinolytic activity and a reduced antithrombin III consumption, both of which were statistically significant.