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A new international study by Oxford researchers published in Nature Communications establishes for the first time, a critical genetic risk score to predict the likelihood of patients suffering with Varicose veins to require surgery, as well as pointing the way towards potential new therapies.

Woman's leg showing varicose veins

The study was an interdisciplinary collaborative effort across the Medical Sciences Division  Researchers from the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences and the Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health worked with an American commercial, direct to consumer genotyping company called 23andMe to explore which people were more susceptible to developing Varicose veins.

In a vast two-stage genome-wide association study of varicose veins in 401,656 individuals from UK Biobank, and replication in 408,969 individuals from 23andMe, Oxford researchers identified 49 genetic variants that increase the risk of varicose veins. They highlighted pathways including problems with the connective tissues of the body, and the immune system as key players in varicose vein pathology.

Read the full story on the Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health website