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It is estimated that ten times more patients suffer from venous insufficiency than peripheral arterial disease. Although often mistaken as a cosmetic problem, venous insufficiency can produce a number of clinical problems for the patient.
Venous insufficiency can significantly impact a person’s lifestyle, especially when the person’s job requires extended standing. Thousands of workdays are lost annually and a study conducted by the University of Edinburgh, put the total cost to the NHS at between £400m and £600m. (Julie this source is from the NHS NIC Website.
Of the estimated 5 million sufferers in the UK, many exhibit serious symptoms such as edema, skin changes and venous ulcers.
72% of women and 42% of men will experience varicose veins by the time they are in their 60s. Prevalence is highly correlated to age and gender.1
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