LivRelief varicose veins cream in the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency of the lower limbs: A 6-week single arm pilot study

BACKGROUND: Chronic Venous Disease is characterized by morphological abnormalities of the venous system. Affected limbs are classified in increasing clinical severity with the Clinical Etiological Anatomical and Pathological system from C0 to C6. Limbs assessed at C3 through C6 meet the criteria of Chronic Venous Insufficiency. Chronic Venous Insufficiency of the Lower Limbs is a very common pathology affecting approximately ~40% of the world’s population. This study observes the use of the LivRelief Varicose Vein Cream, a Natural Health Product that is licensed for sale by Health Canada, for use in the treatment of varicose veins. METHODS: An open label, single arm interventional, pilot study was conducted to determine the feasibility of recruitment and data collection in this population. To accomplish this, the cream was provided to all enrolled subjects. Subsequently, objective and subjective measures were performed at baseline and after 6 weeks of at-home use. Recruitment and data collection targets of at least 70% were established and the data collected at both timepoints were compared and analyzed using a paired t-test. Results were also reported as proportions where appropriate. RESULTS: A total of 32 subjects were enrolled. The pre-defined feasibility objectives for recruitment and data collection were met with the enrolment of 97% of all screened patients and the collection of 94% of all scheduled data. The most significant therapeutic improvement was seen in the results of the Venous Clinical Severity Score where 66% of the treated legs experienced a decrease in severity after 6 weeks of treatment. P values were <0.0001 and 0.0003 for the left and right leg, respectively. CONCLUSION: It is feasible to recruit and collect data with the chosen outcome assessments within this population. Preliminary results suggest that the product could improve some of the clinical symptoms associated with the presence varicose veins. These results warrant further exploration in a longer, randomized and placebo-controlled study. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrial.gov: NCT03653793.