The Relationship Between Obesity and Venous Disease (version 1)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Relationship Between Obesity and Venous Disease
IRAS ID
166933
Contact name
Huw O. B. Davies
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 5 days
Research summary
Venous to Bariatric Theme
Although population studies suggest that obesity is a risk factor for the development of lower limb venous disease (LLVD), the proportion of people who present with symptomatic varicose veins (VVs) and who are obese is unknown.
Work Programme 1.1: Retrospective electronic patient record (EPR) study of all patients treated for LLVD at Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust (HEFT) since 1/1/2012 will be conducted to examine the relationship between body mass index (BMI), lower limb symptoms and signs, treatment offered/received, and outcomes. Data will be compared for the periods before and after publication in July 2013 of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline 168 on varicose veins (www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg168).
Work Programme 1.2: Prospective study of LLVD patients will be conducted in which BMI and other measures of obesity will be related to lower limb symptoms and signs, patterns of disease (on duplex ultrasound, DUS), health related quality of life, treatment offered/received, and immediate/medium term outcomes.
Bariatric to Venous Theme
Evidence suggests that weight-loss achieved with bariatric surgery improves health through mitigating the impact of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. There is also evidence that obesity worsens lower limb venous function. Currently, it is unknown whether venous function returns to normal as a result of weight loss after bariatric surgery
Work Programme 2.1: Retrospective EPR study will be conducted to examine the frequency, nature, severity and treatment of LLVD in patients who have undergone bariatric surgery at HEFT since 1/1/2012.
Work Programme 2.2: Prospective study of patients undergoing bariatric surgery will be conducted to examine the relationship between the weight loss and presence and severity of LLVD in terms of symptoms, signs, disease pattern on DUS, and haemodynamic severity of disease-measured by photoplethysmography (PPG) - a non-invasive measure of blood flow.
REC name
London - Stanmore Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/1455
Date of REC Opinion
14 Aug 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion