To assess possible links between fears of getting varicose veins and unknown great saphenous vein reflux with the prevalence and features of leg symptoms in healthy people and patients with varicose veins.

Questionnaire and venous ultrasound in healthy volunteers and patients with great saphenous vein (GSV) incompetence.

Intensity of feelings of swelling and heaviness (S&H; scale 0–3) was 0.26 (±0.51) in healthy people without fears of varicose veins (n = 162), 0.56 (±0.72) in the presence of GSV reflux (n = 39, P = 0.001), 0.73 (±0.77) in the presence of fears of varicose veins (n = 43, P < 0.001), 0.95 (±0.98) in the presence of both findings (n = 10, P = 0.002) and 0.73 (±0.91) in patients (n = 40, P < 0.001). Intensity of S&H was higher in women (P < 0.001) and in the presence of a family history of varicose veins (P = 0.003).

Fears had a large influence on S&H (F = 12.38, P < 0.001) while GSV reflux was less important (F = 4.58, P = 0.033). Fears and GSV reflux were not related to each other (r = –0.01, P = 0.933).

The prevalence of a crawling sensation was equal in all study groups and cramps were more frequent in volunteers than in patients with GSV reflux (P < 0.001).

Healthy people with fears of getting varicose veins experience feelings of leg S&H as frequently as subjects with previously unknown GSV incompetence and patients with manifest varicose veins.