Local Endogenous Biomarkers in the Later Stages of Chronic Venous Disease Versus Controls During Gravitational Stress, Prolonged Elevation Recovery and Compression

Venous disease effects 25% of the population and most healthy people experience venous symptoms after standing for too long. The prime function of leg veins is drainage. Failure leads to a condition called chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) with leg pain, heaviness, swelling, varicose veins, ankle skin changes, eczema and occasionally venous ulcers. The aim of the study is to identify blood components (biomarkers) that occur during the damaging phase of standing versus the healing phases of lying recovery and with medical compression stockings. This will be achieved by taking a blood sample from the ankle region at 3 separate visits (days) to the vascular laboratory at Ealing Hospital. The first visit will be after supervised standing for 1 hour. The second after supervised lying and the third standing whilst wearing a medical compression stocking. Healthy volunteers will be compared to patients with advanced CVI.

The potential importance to patients and the public is threefold. Firstly, biomarker profiles will be obtained in each of the 3 states to increase understanding in the cellular mechanisms of damage and recovery. In this way "bad" and "good" biomarkers can be identified. Secondly, drug treatments may develop from this research to adjust biomarkers towards a favourable profile. Thirdly, the success of treating CVI with surgery, venous intervention or compression can be monitored. Whilst it is known that relief of gravitational stress is the treatment for all forms of CVI, the mechanisms of repair and its discrimination from damage have yet to be identified.