Chronic venous disease: from symptoms to microcirculation

The recently published European Venous Forum (EVF) Guidelines 2018 update on the management of chronic venous disorders of the lower limbs has focused on several new aspects: a new place for early symptoms, new data on microcirculation alterations, and a re-evaluation of veno-active drugs (VADs), based on new criteria. The symposium "Chronic Venous Disease (CVD): From Symptoms to Microcirculation", held at the annual meeting of the EVF on 28 June 2018 in Athens, Greece, highlighted this perspective by answering three questions: What do symptoms mean and how do they influence our choice of investigations? Is there a link between symptoms and microcirculation alterations? How to choose the right VAD for the right patient based on the updated EVF guidelines? The answers given led the speakers to three conclusions: early symptoms reveal the initial stage of CVD and patients with C0S disease should be properly diagnosed, investigated, and treated; damage to the microcirculation is likely to be the first evidence of the onset of venous disease; Ruscus+HMC+VitC has proven efficacy in randomized controlled trials, and has been given a strong recommendation (Grade 1A) by the 2018 EVF guidelines for treatment of pain, heaviness, feeling of swelling, paresthesia, and edema, and should be considered as one of the preferred treatments to relieve these symptoms in CVD patients.