title: Improvement of signs and symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency and microangiopathy with Pycnogenol: a prospective, controlled study.
abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of standardized French maritime pine bark extract Pycnogenol in patients with severe chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). 98 subjects with symptomatic CVI and edema were randomly assigned to one group treated with 150 mg Pycnogenol a day only, another group with stockings only and a third group with both Pycnogenol and elastic stockings. The average ambulatory venous pressure (AVP) at inclusion was 58+/-7 mm Hg (range 48-60 mm Hg) with a refilling time (RT)<12 s (average 7+/-2 s). The duration of the disease was on average 6.0+/-3.1 years. There were no differences in AVP or RT among the 3 groups at inclusion and microcirculatory and clinical evaluations were comparable. After 8 weeks treatment there was a significant decrease of rate of ankle swelling, resting flux, transcutaneous pO(2) and clinical symptom scores in all groups with significantly better results for the combination treatment. Pycnogenol alone was more effective than compression alone for all parameters (p<0.05). No side-effects were observed; compliance and tolerability were very good. This study corroborates a significant clinical role for Pycnogenol in the management, treatment and control of CVI also in combination with compression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, G D'Annunzio, Chieti-Pescara University, Faculty of Motory Sciences, L'Aquila University, Italy.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Cesarone
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Belcaro
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rohdewald
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pellegrini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ledda
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vinciguerra
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ricci
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ippolito
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dugall
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cacchio
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Renzo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hosoi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stuard
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Corsi
mesh_terms: D000842:Ankle; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004487:Edema / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018056:Hemorheology / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000187:drug effects*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000502:physiology; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D028223:Pinus / Q000737:chemistry*; D024301:Plant Bark; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D053828:Stockings, Compression; D014689:Venous Insufficiency / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014690:Venous Pressure / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D005419:Flavonoids; D010936:Plant Extracts; C024070:pycnogenols; D010100:Oxygen