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Varicose veins are a very common manifestation of chronic venous disease, affecting over 30% of the population in Western countries. In America, chronic venous disease affects over 11 million men and 22 million women aged 4080 years old. Left untreated it can escalate to multiple health complications including leg ulcers and ultimately amputations. A new international study by Oxford researchers published on 2 June 2022 in Nature Communications establishes for the first time, a critical genetic risk score to predict the likelihood of patients suffering with varicose veins to require surgery, as well as pointing the way towards potential new therapies.

In a vasttwo-stage genome-wide association study of varicose veins in 401,656 individuals from UK Biobank, and replication in 408,969 individuals from 23andMe, Oxford researchers identified 49 genetic variants that increase the risk of varicose veins. They highlighted pathways including problems with the connective tissues of the body, and the immune system as key players in varicose vein pathology.

This study was an interdisciplinary collaborative effort across the Medical Sciences Division at the University of Oxford. Researchers from theNuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, theNuffield Department of Surgical Sciencesand theNuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Healthworked withan Americancommercial, direct to consumer genotyping company called23andMeto explore which people were moresusceptible to developingVaricose veins.

Lead authorProfessor Dominic Furnisscommented: 'The inclusion of surgeons in the research team was vital as they enabled the identification of patients whose disease was more severe, and they had therefore had surgery. This lead to the discovery of49 genetic variants at 46 areas into the genome thatpredisposes to Varicose veins. This breakthroughgreatly improves our team's knowledge of the biology of Varicose veins, and it will be the foundation of further research into the biology and potentially new treatment'.

Co-authorProfessor Krina Zondervansaid: 'This large study brings together a great deal of new evidence of the genetics underlying varicose veins, a condition that is highly prevalent in women and in pregnancy. It opens up exciting new avenues for the development of new future treatments.'

Reference:Ahmed WUR, Kleeman S, Ng M, et al. Genome-wide association analysis and replication in 810,625 individuals with varicose veins. Nat Commun. 2022;13(1):3065. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-30765-y

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49 Genetic Variants That Increase the Risk of Varicose Veins Identified - Technology Networks

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