title: Itch, pain, and burning sensation are common symptoms in mild to moderate chronic venous insufficiency with an impact on quality of life.
abstract: To our knowledge there are no studies evaluating the prevalence and characteristics of itch, pain, and burning sensation among patients with mild to moderate chronic venous insufficiency or assessing the impact of these symptoms on quality of life. In this report 100 patients met the inclusion criteria. Patients who suffered from itch were also assessed with the use of a validated questionnaire and a modified Skindex-16 questionnaire. We found that the prevalence of itch was 66%. Concomitant itch and burning sensation as well as itch and pain were noted in 47% and 44% of the patients, respectively. No correlation was noted between the severity of these symptoms and the degree of venous insufficiency. Itch had a negative impact on quality of life. A limitation of this study is that the participants, who were primarily hospital employees, are more likely to develop these symptoms. Therefore this study does not reflect the true prevalence of these symptoms in the general population. This study found that itch, pain, and burning sensation are common symptoms of mild to moderate chronic venous insufficiency with a significant impact on quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157, USA.
authors.forename: Maria I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Duque
authors.forename: Gil
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yosipovitch
authors.forename: Yiong Huak
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Pavel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Levy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011537:Pruritus / Q000209:etiology; D011788:Quality of Life; D014689:Venous Insufficiency / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis