{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]],"date-time":"2026-09-11T06:07:10Z","timestamp":1789106830599,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]],"date-time":"2026-09-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789084800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Epidemiol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Varicose veins are a common manifestation of chronic venous diseases. Despite their clinical and occupational relevance, epidemiological data from the United Arab Emirates remains limited. This study estimated the prevalence of self-reported clinically-diagnosed varicose veins and examined the associated factors among adults residing in the UAE.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A cross-sectional survey was conducted across all seven emirates of the UAE between June 2025 and April 2026. A total of 1,043 eligible participants residing in the UAE were recruited through non-probability convenience sampling technique, and findings should be interpreted as preliminary and non-generalizable. The prevalence of varicose veins was estimated based on self-reported prior clinical diagnosis. Data was analyzed using SPSS (v29), associations with demographic, lifestyle, and medical factors were assessed using Pearson's chi-square tests and logistic regression models.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Among surveyed adults in the UAE, 15.05% self-reported a prior clinical diagnosis of varicose veins; this figure reflects the study sample only and should not be interpreted as a population-representative prevalence. Most participants correctly identified varicose veins. Advancing age, body mass index, prolonged standing, and positive family history of the disease were significantly associated with higher odds (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&amp;lt;\u2009.001).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>These findings provide preliminary, non-generalizable evidence on self-reported previously diagnosed varicose veins among the surveyed convenience sample of adults in the UAE. The condition represents a notable concern within the study population, and the results are hypothesis-generating, emphasizing the need for targeted early diagnosis among high-risk individuals, while also highlighting the need for clinically validated, probability-based population studies in the UAE.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fepid.2026.1916966","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]],"date-time":"2026-09-11T05:28:58Z","timestamp":1789104538000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["A survey of self-reported varicose veins with prior clinical diagnosis among adults residing in the United Arab Emirates: a cross-sectional study examining associated factors"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"6","author":[{"given":"Riya Inder","family":"Sevhani","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, Gulf Medical University","place":["Ajman, United 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