Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Nov 27;18(1):141.
doi: 10.1007/s11657-023-01351-6.

Risk of osteoporosis among individuals with varicose veins: a multi-institution cohort study

Chun-Yu Cheng  1   2   3
Affiliations

Risk of osteoporosis among individuals with varicose veins: a multi-institution cohort study

Chun-Yu Cheng. Arch Osteoporos. .

Abstract

The present study showed a significant association between varicose veins and the development of osteoporosis, especially women and patients older than 50 years. Physicians should be alerted to this issue and consider screening for osteoporosis in patients with varicose veins.

Purpose: Osteoporosis might be associated with many skin diseases. However, only a paucity of data addressing the association between varicose veins and subsequent osteoporosis development. The study was aimed to evaluate whether there is an increased risk of osteoporosis among patients with varicose veins.

Methods: This multi-institution database study was based on Chang Gung Research Database from January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2015. Patients aged 20 years and older with varicose veins were enrolled. Participants in the control group were selected by matching in a 4:1 ratio by sex, age, index date, and comorbidities. The hazard ratios associated with osteoporosis were estimated using Cox regression analysis with competitive risk model. Incidence rate of osteoporosis was assessed in individuals with and without varicose veins.

Results: A total of 11,959 patients with varicose veins and 47,633 matched controls were enrolled in the study. The varicose veins group had higher incidence rates than the control group for osteoporosis (46.40 vs 31.92 per 10,000 person-years; adjusted HR 1.481 [95%CI, 1.314-1.669; P < 0.001]). Compared with matched controls, varicose veins patients with or without venous ulcers had 1.711- and 1.443-times increased risk of developing osteoporosis, respectively. Subgroup analysis showed varicose veins were associated with osteoporosis in women and patients older than 50 years.

Conclusion: The present study demonstrated individuals with varicose veins had an increased risk of osteoporosis. Physicians should be alerted to this issue and consider screening for osteoporosis in patients with varicose veins, especially among women and patients older than 50 years.

Keywords: Cohort study; Menopause; Osteoporosis; Varicose veins; Venous ulcers.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Salari N, Darvishi N, Bartina Y et al (2021) The global prevalence of osteoporosis in the world: a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis. J Orthop Surg Res 16:609. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13018-021-02821-8 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Chen R, Safiri S, Behzadifar M et al (2022) Health effects of metabolic risks in the United States from 1990 to 2019. Front Public Health 10:751126. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.751126 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Tański W, Kosiorowska J, Szymańska-Chabowska A (2021) Osteoporosis - risk factors, pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical treatment. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 25:3557–3566. https://doi.org/10.26355/eurrev_202105_25838 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Rozenberg S, Bruyère O, Bergmann P et al (2020) How to manage osteoporosis before the age of 50. Maturitas 138:14–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2020.05.004 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Sirufo MM, De Pietro F, Bassino EM, Ginaldi L, De Martinis M (2020) Osteoporosis in skin diseases. Int J Mol Sci 21:4749. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21134749 - DOI - PubMed - PMC

LinkOut - more resources