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

Objective: To determine the frequency and pattern of different aetiologies of leg pain among patients visiting vascular surgery clinics. Study Design: 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. Methodology: 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. Results: 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.