Varicose veins are not a cosmetic footnote: this evidence map shows a highly variable global burden shaped by age, sex, BMI, family history, pregnancy, and standing-intensive work, with prevalence ranging from rare in some rural populations to over 70% in nursing cohorts. The full SAIMSARA human-readable review and machine-readable JSON provide structured, reference-linked evidence across 174 original studies and 1,652,112 participants, covering prevalence, occupational risk, thrombotic associations, venous reflux, genetics, and underrepresented population gaps.
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Abstract: The aim of this paper is to synthesize the current evidence regarding the global prevalence of varicose veins and to identify the primary biological, genetic, and occupational risk factors associated with the condition across diverse populations. The review utilises 104 cited references, drawing on 174 original studies with 1652112 total participants (topic-deduplicated ΣN). The mapped evidence indicates that varicose vein prevalence spans an exceptionally wide range, from approximately 0.1–5.5% in some rural and non-Western populations to over 70% in standing-intensive nursing cohorts, with most general-population estimates clustering between 10% and 40%. Across the dominant research topics, advanced age, female sex, elevated BMI, family history, and prolonged occupational standing emerged as the most recurrent signals, with Mendelian-randomization data supporting per-SD ORs of 1.39 for BMI and 1.34 for height. The synthesis also highlights varicose veins as a marker of broader venous and systemic pathology, with consistent associations to deep vein thrombosis, varicocele, joint hypermobility, and pelvic venous disorders. Clinically, these patterns suggest that targeted screening and ergonomic or compression-based interventions in high-risk occupational groups such as nurses, surgeons, and teachers could address a substantial share of the modifiable burden. However, heterogeneity in case definitions and the geographic concentration of evidence limit how confidently these signals can be generalized across populations. Future research should prioritize standardized CEAP-based prevalence surveys in underrepresented regions and prospective cohorts in high-risk occupations to clarify the contribution of modifiable versus genetic drivers within the evidence map.
Keywords: Varicose veins; Prevalence; Risk factors; Occupational health; Chronic venous insufficiency; Body mass index; Prolonged standing; Epidemiology; Family history; Venous insufficiency
Review Stats
Final search date and database lock: 2026-05-06 12:44:22 CEST
Plan: Pro (expanded craft tokens; source: PubMed)
Source: PubMed
Total Abstracts/Papers: 413
Downloaded Abstracts/Papers: 413
Included original and non-original Abstracts/Papers (all): 197
Included original Abstracts/Papers (Vote counting by direction of effect): 174
Reference Index (links used in paper): 104
Total participants (topic deduplicated ΣN): 1652112
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