title: Lifestyle factors and varicose veins: does cross-sectional design result in underestimate of the risk?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess whether smoking, alcohol drinking and dietary factors are linked with varicose veins.
  
  
  METHODS
  A middle-aged general population of 4903 was studied, and prevalence rates at entry and five-year incidence of varicose veins were assessed. Lifestyle habits were recorded at entry and at the end of the follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  New varicose veins were significantly more common in individuals with regular alcohol intake, incidence odds ratio (OR) 1.5 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05-2.3) in a multivariate analysis (of 2202 individuals). The association was particularly strong in women. Smokers had a higher incidence of varicose veins compared with non-smokers, OR 1.3 (95% CI: 0.9-1.8), but without statistical significance. Having daily meals of meat implied less new varicose veins than having 0-2 weekly meals of meat.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Alcohol was likely to increase the risk of varicose veins in women and smoking in both genders. These findings were seen in the follow-up design, but not when the data of these risk factors were compared with varicose veins prevalent at entry.
authors.affiliation: Tampere School of Public Health, University of Tampere, Tampere 33014, Finland. tiina.jukkola@uta.fi
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Ahti
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Mäkivaara
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Luukkaala
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hakama
authors.forename: J O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Laurikka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012042:Registries; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D014648:Varicose Veins / Q000453:epidemiology*