Chronic venous insufficiency and occupation

Abstract

Chronic venous disease is an often-trivialized common multifactorial slowly progressive disease, increasing with age and influenced by obesity, parity, heredity, and lifestyle. Comparison of studies on chronic venous disease and occupation is hampered by lack of uniformity of definition of venous disease, working position, sample size, etc. Exact data on the influence of work on the development/progression of venous disease and vice versa lack. Ambulatory hypertension due to hampered venous return occurs with inactivity of the calf muscle pump, such as in prolonged standing. Evening edema is physiological and can be prevented by low-pressure (10-20 mmHg) medical elastic stockings. The use of low-pressure elastic below-knee stockings should be considered for each worker with a predominantly standing or sitting position at work. With a short questionnaire and a simple physical examination, (the risk for) venous disease can be easily established. Medical elastic stockings are the devices of choice for the prevention of venous disease, for relief of complaints, and for slowing down progression. They are an indispensible part of the treatment of subjects with venous disease. The choice of stocking requires knowledge of the subscriber of both the properties of the individual worker and of stockings.