Prevalence of leg ulcers in the province of Cuenca: a study in Primary Care

To determine the prevalence of leg ulcers, and to describe the affected patients, wounds, and treatment.

Observational, cross-sectional prevalence study. An ad hoc online questionnaire was sent to all nurses attending Primary Care centres of the "Gerencia de Atención Integrada de Cuenca" (Integrated Care Management of Cuenca, Spain). Data regarding patient sociodemographic and clinical variables, lesion characteristics and the type of intervention (concerning prevention and treatment) were collected.

In total, 152 professionals (response rate=98.1%) completed the questionnaire, collecting data from 131,190 inhabitants. A total of 63 patients (75.5±12.6 years old) with 75 ulcers were identified, finding an overall prevalence of 0.480‰ (CI 95%: 0.375-0.614), distributed as: venous ulcer 0.274‰ (n=36), diabetic foot 0.145‰ (n=19), and arterial ulcer 0.061‰ (n=8). The prevalence was similar regarding gender (0.535‰ vs. 0.426‰, respectively, p=.365), but men exhibited more diabetic foot (0.214‰ vs. 0.076‰, p=.037). In all three types of lesions prevalence increased with age, reaching 1.743‰ in 64+age group. The median of the leg ulcer duration and corrected area were 190.0±340.0 days and 5.0±13.7cm², respectively, with a recurrence rate of 74.7%.

The prevalence of chronic leg ulcers was lower than that reported in other studies, although with high recurrence rates. Overall estimators from previous studies may have overestimated the prevalence, especially in regions with a high rural component.