Venous disease and chronic oedema: treatment and patient concordance

Area of Science:

• Vascular Medicine
• Dermatology
• Public Health

Background:

• Compression therapy is the primary treatment for chronic venous disease, venous leg ulceration (VLU), and chronic oedema.
• Venous leg ulceration management incurs substantial costs, estimated at £400 million annually, and consumes significant district nursing resources.
• An aging, obese, and chronically ill population will exacerbate the strain on healthcare resources.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the significant financial and patient burden of chronic venous and lymphovenous diseases.
• To advocate for a preventive strategy in managing these conditions.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and cost analysis of current management practices.
• Projection of future resource demands based on demographic trends.

Main Results:

• Chronic venous diseases, particularly VLU, represent a major healthcare cost and resource drain.
• Increasing prevalence of risk factors (age, obesity, chronic illness) will intensify the problem.
• Current management approaches are resource-intensive and place a significant burden on patients.

Conclusions:

• A shift towards preventive measures is essential to mitigate the escalating financial, workload, and symptomatic impacts of chronic venous and lymphovenous diseases.
• Preventive strategies offer a sustainable solution to reduce healthcare expenditure and improve patient outcomes.