Rôle-clé de l'hypoxie et des cellules endothéliales dans le développement des veines variqueuses

Varicose veins are a very common pathology but its etiology still remains not well understood. Epidemiological studies have shown that, in addition to genetic and hormonal factors, prolonged standing position may contribute to the development of this pathology. However, the relation between the standing position and the physiopathological modifications typical of the varicose veins is still unclear. In this article, we sum up experimental data obtained from the study of the effects of hypoxia on endothelial cells and we examine how these results can explain the alterations observed in pathological vein and the action of phlebotonic drugs. All these data led to a coherent hypothesis for one possible cause of the chronic venous insufficiency coming from a local ischemia.