Demographic and Clinical Risk Factors of Developing Clinically Recognized Varicose Veins in Older Adults

Varicose veins are common in older adults and are associated with adverse clinical outcomes such as deep venous thrombosis. Established risk factors for varicose veins include female sex, height, and obesity, but other risk factors are relatively uncharacterized.

This was a prospective cohort analysis of 6,241 participants aged 66-70 years from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. Incident varicose veins were defined as two outpatient encounters (at least a week apart) or inpatient diagnoses through 2018 with ICD-9 code 454 or ICD-10 code I83. Participants with a history of clinically recognized varicose veins at baseline were excluded. Cox regression was used to evaluate established (e.g., female, height, BMI) and potential demographic and clinical risk factors.

During a median follow-up of 13 years, 349 (6%) of participants developed clinically recognized varicose veins. Consistent with prior research, female sex, taller height, and higher BMI were associated with incident varicose veins. After accounting for these, White race, prevalent heart failure, loop diuretic use, higher cardiac troponin T, and higher natriuretic peptide were independently associated with incident varicose veins.

In this community-based cohort study of older adults, known and newly identified risk factors, including cardiac function and heart failure, were independently associated with incidence of clinically recognized varicose veins. The potential usefulness of cardiac biomarkers for prevention and screening of varicose veins requires further investigations.