Chronic venous disease of lower limbs in young men at high-altitude: A cross-sectional survey

Abstract

Objectives

The aim of this study was to understand the prevalence of chronic venous disease (CVD) of lower limbs in young men at high-altitude in Xizang, and to provide prevention measures.

Methods

The convenient sampling method was used to conduct a questionnaire survey among males aged 18 to 40 above an altitude of 3000 meters in Xizang in April 2023. The contents of the questionnaire included basic information, symptoms of CVD of lower limbs, protection status and training needs. Multivariate logistic regression model was calculated to evaluate the risk factors for CVD.

Results

A total of 350 survey questionnaires were received, and 326 valid samples were collected. The prevalence of CVD of lower limbs (C1-C6) was 37.42% (95%CI: 32.17%–42.68%), the ratio of C0 to C5 were 62.58%, 27.30%, 3.07%, 4.60%, 2.15% and 0.31%, respectively, no one reached C6. The top three symptoms of CVD were lower limb fatigue (18.10%), heaviness (15.34%) and pain (13.19%). 46.01% of respondents were unaware of CVD, and 12.88% of respondents did not have any protective measures of CVD. Multivariate logistic regression showed that age (OR = 1.076, 95%CI: 1.018–1.137, p = .009), preference for spicy food (OR = 1.747, 95%CI: 1.083–2.818, p = .022), unbalanced diet (OR = 1.877, 95%CI: 1.049–3.358, p = .034) and physical exercise (OR 0.610, 95%CI: 0.377–0.986, p = .044) were the independent risk factors for CVD.

Conclusions

This study provided data on the prevalence of CVD in young men at high-altitude and the risk factors for CVD. The findings of this study may facilitate the development of individualized clinical assessments and targeted prevention programs.