Compression Stockings and the Factors That Affect Their Use in Lower Extremity Venous Insufficiency Treatment

Objective: Chronic venous insufficiency is a clinical problem that has been known for more than 2000 years. Venous stasis and venous hypertension develop as a result of ineffective lower extremity venous system. Compression stockings that can be used at every stage of the disease in the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency is applied for the treatment of stasis, the second point of Virchows triad, and they are effective in the treatment and prophylaxis of the disease. The aim of this study was to determine the indications of compression stocking use, and the difficulties experienced by patients during their use in our region. Material and Methods: In our study, patients who were offered to use compression stockings for lower extremity chronic venous insufficiency were evaluated with a questionnaire for their com-plaints, physical examination and medical history prospectively. Results: A total of 200 patients enrolled were in this study (68% females and 32% males) with a mean age of 43.8±10.8 years for men, and 42.4±10.2 years for women. The mean time for use of compression stockings was 23.8 months (range: 1 month-10 years). Most patients complained of wearing difficulty and tightness of the stockings. Conclusion: Our study provides important data in terms of use of elastic compression stockings for chronic venous insufficiency, and frequency of their use in Çorum province. Physicians who recommend compression stocking therapy for treatment of chronic venous insufficiency must take those data into consideration.