Management of venous ulcers

Venous ulcers are the most important cause of leg ulcers in the Western world. Traditionally, it was thought that venous ulcers accounted for approximately 80 to 90% of cases of leg ulceration.1 However, the association of venous and arterial disease has increased, probably related to improvement in diagnostic techniques, as well as aging of the population. Current data from a cross-sectional survey in a Swedish population reported that 54% of ulcers were purely venous in etiology, giving a prevalence of 0.16%. In an Australian population of 238,000 screened for chronic ulcers, venous abnormalities were found in 57%, with a prevalence of 0.06% in the population. The prevalence of chronic venous ulcers increased progressively with age, but there was no significant difference between men and women at any age.