Compliance with compression therapy in primary chronic venous disease: Results from a tropical country

OBJECTIVES: To describe compliance rates of compression therapy in a cohort of patients with chronic venous disease and also to describe frequent causes of non-compliance. METHODS: A total of 889 patients with primary chronic venous disease were prescribed compression therapy after being evaluated by vascular surgeons. Subjects had a first visit during which time compression therapy was prescribed in addition to a follow-up visit. Strength of compression, type, prescription duration, and reasons of non-compliance were queried at follow-up. RESULTS: Only 31.8% of the patients reported wearing compression therapy as prescribed, 31.4% reported wearing compression most days, 28.3% reported wearing compression intermittently, and 8.5% of the patients reported not wearing compression at all. The main reasons of non-compliance were: uncomfortable (49.4%), too difficult to put on (34.5%), skin problems (itching) (21.5%), and unattractive (19.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Compliance with compression therapy in chronic venous disease is still a subject of concern as most patients are not using compression therapy as prescribed.