Aetiologies of Leg Pain among Patients Presenting to a Vascular Surgery Clinic.

Abstract

To determine the frequency and pattern of different aetiologies of leg pain among patients visiting vascular surgery clinics. Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of the Study: Vascular Surgery Clinics of the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, between February 2021 and June 2023. This study examined patients presenting with leg pain for the first time at vascular surgery clinics. The socio-demographic and clinical data including the clinical symptoms, physical examination findings, and management of leg pain were noted using a specially designed proforma. In a total of 142 patients (200 limbs), 82 (57.7%) were females and 60 (42.3%) were males, with a mean age of 46.8 ± 15.1 years. The patients' mean body mass index (BMI) was 30.2 ± 7.9 kg/m2. Ninety-one (64.1%) patients had a predominantly standing job compared to 51 (35.9%) patients who had a predominantly sitting job. The most common aetiology of leg pain was chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), diagnosed in 107 (53.5%) patients, followed by neurogenic pain [41 (20.5%)], musculoskeletal pain including knee osteoarthritis [30 (15.0%)], and arterial insufficiency [22 (11.0%)]. Conclusion: CVI followed by neuropathic pain was the leading cause of leg pain in vascular surgery clinics at a tertiary care hospital. Chronic venous insufficiency, Arterial insufficiency, Vascular surgery, Leg pain, Musculoskeletal pain, Neuralgia.