venous leg ulceration
Last reviewed 01/2018
Chronic venous leg ulceration is defined as an area of discontinuity of the epidermis, persisting for 4 weeks or more, caused by venous incompetence and associated venous hypertension (1,2)
- it is the most common form of leg ulcer and accounts for 60 to 80% of lower limb ulceration
- prevalence is suggested to be around 1-1.5%
- in the UK, prevalence is estimated to be between 0.1% and 0.3% while in the USA it is approximately 1%
- more common in women and older persons
- the condition imposes a heavy burden on the healthcare finances
- costs of venous leg ulcers are 1% of the total annual healthcare budget in western European countries
- in the USA, treatment costs for venous ulcers in more than 6 million patients approach $2.5bn (£1.6bn; €1.8bn)
Venous ulcers may be:
- primary - develop spontaneously as a result of venous hypertension
- secondary - secondary to an identifiable underlying cause e.g. - venous thrombosis or trauma) (1)
Reference:
risk factors for developing venous leg ulceration
classification of venous ulcers