A new research has found that Pycnogenol® is more effective than Daflon®, a combined form of diosmin and hesperidin commonly used to treat chronic venous insufficiency (CVI).
According to the journal of Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/Hematosis, the supplementation of Pycnogenol® shows increased symptom reduction in the patients suffering from Chronic venous insufficiency. It is an antioxidant extracted from the bark of French maritime pine tree. The study led for 35 years shows its ability to improve blood flow and increase the strength of venous walls. Research shows Pycnogenol® more effective than Daflon®, a combined form of diosmin and hesperidin commonly used to treat CVI. The former drug is found to be more effective in treating the symptoms of CVI mainly edema, tight calves, skin alterations, pain during walking, and swelling limbs.About 500,000 people in the United States develop leg ulcers due to CVI. If left untreated, leg and ankle swelling can lead to dangerous conditions such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Previous studies have shown Pycnogenol® to be effective in encouraging improved circulation and helping to prevent travel-related DVT. Like varicose veins, spider veins also develop if edema is left untreated.
"Chronic venous insufficiency is caused when leg veins cannot pump enough blood back into the heart. When people are not active, blood pools in their leg veins, legs and ankles can become swollen," said Peter Rohdewald, Ph.D. and researcher of the study. "Eventually, some of the valves cannot hold the weight of excessive blood, which then adds more pressure onto the next valve further downwards. Ultimately, the inability to prevent the liquid in the blood from seeping into the tissue is what causes edema, a common condition of CVI."
Researchers at L'Aquila University in Italy conducted a comparative analysis by supplementing 86 patients with severe CVI with Pycnogenol® and Daflon®. Each group supplemented daily for eight weeks. Patients who supplemented with Pycnogenol® received either 150 mg or 300 mg, while Daflon® patients supplemented with 1000 mg.
Ankle swelling was measured before 10 a.m. to avoid the swelling effect of standing and again after 30 minutes of resting with feet elevated. Measurements were taken at the beginning of the study and after four and eight weeks of treatment. A composite, analogue score based on signs and symptoms (edema, pain, restless limbs, subjective swelling, and skin alterations/redness) was recorded by patients. A second evaluation of edema was made by another physician.
After eight weeks of treatment, patients who supplemented with Pycnogenol® experienced decreased ankle swellings by 35 percent, while Daflon treatment decreased ankle swelling by 19 percent. A composite score for edema including pain, restless legs, feeling of heavy swollen legs, and skin alterations was found to be decreased with Pycnogenol® by 64%, whereas Daflon® was only half as effective, lowering the composite edema score by 32%.
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"Interestingly, this study demonstrated that supplementation with a very high dosage of 300 mg Pycnogenol® a day did not yield significantly better effects than treatment with 150 mg Pycnogenol®, with the exception of the composite edema score, which improved better with the higher dosage," said Rohdewald.
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"Pycnogenol® has demonstrated its efficacy and safety in several clinical trials and symptoms of CVI have been reduced significantly by Pycnogenol® in controlled studies. We were pleased to see that not only did Pycnogenol® decrease CVI symptoms, but the results were significantly more successful then the prescription drug used for treating CVI," said Rohdewald.
(Source: Eurekalert)
