Raising awareness of compression therapy for pregnant women

23rd March 2009, Cincinnati, OH - Healthy Advice Networks, a leading provider of physician office-based patient-education programs  in the USA has announced that Sigvaris, a leading manufacturer of ready-to-wear compression therapy garments is participating in their Women’s Health Network with an educational video about oedema during pregnancy and free patient-education brochures on using compression therapy to treat leg and foot swelling.

Targeting pregnant women who often suffer from swollen legs and ankles and who may not be aware of the health risks involved, Sigvaris wants to educate them about the benefits of compression therapy garments to help reduce these risks while relieving discomfort.

This educational program was launched in March to support DVT Awareness Month, the time of year when health organizations nationwide come together to educate consumers about the symptoms and dangers of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Pregnant women are 5-6 times more likely than non-pregnant women to experience a DVT, Healthy Advice Networks says.

“Sigvaris believes education is critical in reducing the risk of leg vein health issues and compression therapy not only relieves pain but helps prevent more serious problems. Most pregnant women who are experiencing swelling in their legs and feet don’t realize they may have symptoms of early-stage vein disease which can result in varicose veins or even deep vein thrombosis. A simple change to Sigvaris socks or pantyhose can reduce the likelihood of these health issues tremendously. We are thrilled to partner with Healthy Advice Networks. We are impressed with their commitment to delivering high-quality, easy-to-understand patient information and we could think of no better place to educate pregnant women how to decrease the pain caused from tired, achy legs or swollen ankles and feet than in their own OB/GYN offices,” said Lisa Wells, North America Product Manager.

Gregg Gentile, Executive Vice President, Business Development, Specialty Networks, added, “We are pleased to have Sigvaris in our Women’s Health Network. Consumers today are focused on managing their health and are looking for options to augment their overall treatment plan. The Sigvaris line of fashion hosiery, including maternity pantyhose, knee-hi’s, thigh-hi’s and comfortable cotton socks, helps them do just that, giving pregnant women a viable and attractive way to help reduce health risks by being proactive.”

Healthy Advice Networks delivers patient-education programs in Cardiology, Women’s Health, Pediatrics, Gastroenterology, Urology, Dermatology, and Rheumatology. Healthy Advice Networks also has primary care programs in both physicians’ waiting rooms and exam room.

About Healthy Advice Networks

Healthy Advice Networks’ mission is to help consumers and healthcare professionals make more informed health decisions by providing trusted, relevant and easy-to-understand health information when and where they need it. Over 50,000 primary care and specialty physicians throughout the U.S. have chosen Healthy Advice as their patient-education provider, making Healthy Advice the largest and fastest growing health information company with programs in both the physician waiting room and exam room. The award-winning programs are sponsored by leading pharmaceutical and health and wellness brands. For sponsors, Healthy Advice provides a proven way to impact patients and physicians at the time treatment decisions are being made.

About Sigvaris

Sigvaris North America is part of an internationally active medical device group headquartered in Winterthur, Switzerland that focuses on the development, production and distribution of medical compression garments, including hosiery and socks. With distribution in more than 50 countries on six continents, Sigvaris is recognized as a global industry leader in the area of compression therapy for the management of venous and lymphatic disorders.