Serdal Ugurlu1, Emire Seyahi2, Veysel Oktay3, Fatih Kantarci4, Hasan Tuzun5, Zerrin Yigit3, Caner Arslan5, Hasan Yazici1. 1. Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty, University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey. 2. Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty, University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey. Electronic address: eseyahi@yahoo.com. 3. Department of Cardiology, Institute of Cardiology, University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey. 4. Department of Radiology, Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty, University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey. 5. Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty, University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: We have previously shown that venous claudication is significantly more common among patients with Behçet's disease (BD) and had proposed that this was a "venous claudication" because it was specifically more common among men with lower extremity venous thrombosis (LEVT). With this study, we reassessed the presence of claudication prospectively by a questionnaire and a treadmill exercise. METHODS: We studied all men: 61 BD patients with LEVT, 40 BD patients without vascular involvement, and 56 healthy controls. Venous claudication was assessed by a standardized questionnaire. In addition, patients were asked to walk on a treadmill for 10 minutes. Patients who experienced symptoms consistent with venous claudication but still able to walk and those who had to give up the treadmill exercise were noted. Ankle-brachial pressure indices measured before and after the treadmill test did not indicate any peripheral arterial disease. RESULTS: Twenty-one BD patients with LEVT (34%), two BD patients without vascular involvement (5%), and none of the healthy controls described venous claudication when assessed with the questionnaire (P < .001). There were significantly more patients who described claudication during the treadmill exercise among patients with LEVT (21%) compared with those with no vascular disease (8%) and healthy controls (2%) (P = .002). Finally, only those with LEVT (6 of 61) had to stop the treadmill challenge because of claudication. CONCLUSIONS: Venous claudication is a severe and frequent symptom, being present in up to one third of BD patients with LEVT. It impairs walking capacity in 10% of these patients.
OBJECTIVE: We have previously shown that venous claudication is significantly more common among patients with Behçet's disease (BD) and had proposed that this was a "venous claudication" because it was specifically more common among men with lower extremity venous thrombosis (LEVT). With this study, we reassessed the presence of claudication prospectively by a questionnaire and a treadmill exercise. METHODS: We studied all men: 61 BDpatients with LEVT, 40 BDpatients without vascular involvement, and 56 healthy controls. Venous claudication was assessed by a standardized questionnaire. In addition, patients were asked to walk on a treadmill for 10 minutes. Patients who experienced symptoms consistent with venous claudication but still able to walk and those who had to give up the treadmill exercise were noted. Ankle-brachial pressure indices measured before and after the treadmill test did not indicate any peripheral arterial disease. RESULTS: Twenty-one BDpatients with LEVT (34%), two BDpatients without vascular involvement (5%), and none of the healthy controls described venous claudication when assessed with the questionnaire (P < .001). There were significantly more patients who described claudication during the treadmill exercise among patients with LEVT (21%) compared with those with no vascular disease (8%) and healthy controls (2%) (P = .002). Finally, only those with LEVT (6 of 61) had to stop the treadmill challenge because of claudication. CONCLUSIONS:Venous claudication is a severe and frequent symptom, being present in up to one third of BDpatients with LEVT. It impairs walking capacity in 10% of these patients.