Endothelial dysfunction in patients with chronic venous disease: an evaluation based on the flow-mediated dilatation...

The vascular system constitutes a functional whole, and it has been assumed that the arterial endothelium and the venous endothelium are organs integral to internal secretion. Despite previous studies concerning the potential role of endothelial cells in the development of chronic venous disease (CVD), there is still no direct clinical confirmation of endothelial dysfunction in CVD patients. The aim of this study was to document the presence of endothelial cell dysfunction in a clinical setting in CVD patients.

In this study, the flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) test was performed in 131 patients with CVD (at stages C0s-C3 according to the CEAP classification) and 84 healthy volunteers. With the help of a precise algorithm, all the patients with other confirmed factors that could potentially influence endothelial activity were excluded from the examination.

FMD test values were lower in the CVD group (median: 7.87 ± 3.31%) compared to the control group (median: 12.06 ± 3.94%) (p<0.05). With sex separation and partition into two age groups (20-40 and 41-60 yrs.), characteristic, significant FMD value differences were obtained. In the statistical analysis, the clinical severity of CVD negatively correlated with the FMD value.

According to the FMD test results, endothelial dysfunction was observed in patients with CVD. The change in the endothelial activity observed in this examination correlates with the clinical severity of chronic venous disease.