Treatment of varicose veins in Denmark

The aim of this study is to report the treatment of varicose veins in Denmark in the five-year period from 2007 to 2011, primarily based on reports to the nationwide Clinical Vein Database (KVD).

The KVD collects clinical patient data before, during and after invasive treatment of varicose veins in public hospitals, private outpatient clinics and private hospitals.

A slight decrease was observed in the total number of treated legs from about 15,000 annually to nearly 14,000 during the period. Public hospitals and private outpatient clinics treat an almost equal number of patients, whereas private hospitals perform 3% of the treatments. The coverage rate of KVD in public hospitals has been almost complete (94%), but it has been approx. 40% in private outpatient clinics and private hospitals. In 84% of the legs, there were only subjective complaints. The remaining 16% had developed complications, i.e. eczema, varicophlebitis, ulcers or bleeding. Operations still make up the vast majority of the procedures, and although the number of endovenous procedures has increased during the period, these procedures account for only 15% of the procedures performed in 2011. Of all legs, 36% had previously been treated for varicose veins.

The literature and our results show that there has been no significant change in the number of varicose vein treatments in Denmark for the past 20 years. Endovenous procedures still account for a small number of the procedures. Despite the increased focus on the treatment of varicose veins, just as many patients are treated for recurrence as in the 1990s.

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