Gerald and Patricia Turpanjian School of Public Health (MPH) Alumna Gohar Abelyan, MPH (2015), MSc has published her MPH thesis project in the Journal of Phlebology. Phlebology is the only English language journal entirely devoted to venous disease and is officially endorsed by the American College of Phlebology. This peer-reviewed journal publishes results of high quality studies and reviews on factors that might influence the outcome of patients with venous disease. The article looks at the risk factors of chronic venous ulceration in patients with varicose veins. The co-authors are Gayane Yenokyan MD, MHS, MPH (1999), MPP, PhD, Johns Hopkins Biostatistics Center, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA and Lusine Abrahamyan, MD, MPH (2003), PhD, Toronto Health Economics and Technology Assessment (THETA) Collaborative, University of Toronto; Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The study aimed to identify factors associated with an increased risk of venous ulceration in patients with varicose veins in Armenia. A case-control study design was utilized enrolling overall 160 patients (80 patients in each group) who underwent varicose treatment surgery in two specialized surgical centers in Armenia during 2013-2014. Cases were patients with varicose veins and venous leg ulcers. Controls included patients with varicose veins but without venous leg ulcers. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to test the study hypotheses and to identify the risk factors of venous ulceration. After adjusting for potential confounders, the estimated odds of developing venous ulcer was higher in patients with history of post thrombotic syndrome, with higher average sitting time, those with reflux in deep veins, and history of leg injury. Regular exercise in form of walking (≥ 5 days per week) was found to be a protective factor from venous ulceration. Based on the study findings the research team concludes that encouraging patients to stay physically active and limiting sitting time might reduce the likelihood of venous ulceration, especially in the high-risk population.
For the full article Abelyan G, Abrahamyan L, Yenokyan G. A case-control study of risk factors of chronic venous ulceration in patients with varicose veins. Phlebology. 2017 Jan 1:268355516687677. doi: 10.1177/026835551668767 is available at
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0268355516687677
The AUA Gerald and Patricia Turpanjian School of Public Health works actively to improve population health and health services in Armenia and the region through interdisciplinary education and development of public health professionals to be leaders in public health, health services research and evaluation, and health care delivery and management.