Leg ulcer, venous 

Introduction 

Leg ulcers

Other common types of leg ulcer include:

  • arterial leg ulcers – caused by poor blood circulation in the arteries
  • diabetic leg ulcers – caused by the high blood sugar associated with diabetes
  • vasculitic leg ulcers – associated with chronic inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus
  • traumatic leg ulcers – caused by injury to the leg
  • malignant leg ulcers – arising from a tumour of the skin of the leg

A leg ulcer is a long-lasting (chronic) wound on your leg or foot that takes more than six weeks to heal.

The symptoms of a venous leg ulcer include pain, itching and swelling in the affected leg. There may also be other signs, such as discoloured or hardened skin around the ulcer.

You should see your GP if you think you may have a venous leg ulcer as they will not heal on their own. Your GP will examine your leg and may carry out additional tests to rule out other conditions.

Read more information about how a venous leg ulcer is diagnosed.

What causes a venous leg ulcer?

A venous leg ulcer is the most common type of leg ulcer, accounting for 80-85% of all cases. Venous leg ulcers develop when persistently high blood pressure in the veins of the legs (venous hypertension) causes damage to the skin, which eventually breaks down and forms an ulcer

Read more information about the causes of a venous leg ulcer.

Who is affected?

Venous leg ulcers affect around 1 in 500 people in the UK. Although this rate rises sharply with age with an estimated 1 in 50 people over the age of 80 developing venous leg ulcers.

You are also more at risk of developing a venous leg ulcer if you:

Treating venous leg ulcers

With treatment, 70% of small ulcers will heal within 12 weeks. Larger ulcers may take longer to heal. Treatment usually involves cleaning and dressing the wound and using compression bandages to control blood pressure inside the legs.

However, unless underlying risk factors such as immobility, obesity and varicose veins are addressed, there is a high risk of a venous leg ulcer reoccurring.

Leg ulcers are commonly colonised by many types of bacteria. However, bacteria are not the cause of the ulcer and do not need to be treated unless there is an obvious infection. Antibiotics have no effect on healing the ulcer, so are not part of routine treatment.

Read more information about treating venous leg ulcers.

A venous leg ulcer can also lead to several complications, including a loss of mobility and the risk of infection. In rare cases, infection could lead to more serious conditions such as osteomyelitis or blood poisoning (sepsis).

Read more information about complications of venous leg ulcers.

Can venous leg ulcers be prevented?

There are several ways to help prevent a venous leg ulcer, such as wearing a compression stocking, losing weight if you are obese, and taking care of your skin.

This is particularly important if you have previously had a leg ulcer, as once a leg has suffered a venous ulcer, there is a one in four chance of further ulcers developing within two years.

Read more information about preventing a venous leg ulcer.




Last reviewed: 16/04/2012

Next review due: 16/04/2014

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2 Comments

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Comments are personal views. Any information they give has not been checked and may not be accurate.

janetirene said on 19 July 2012

This is most useful - thank you. I have recently developed leg ulcers and thought the fresh air treatment was the right thing to do. After nine weeks of antibiotics they seemed heal over, but a week later cracked and wept. A change in antibiotics revealed a resistance to them so was put back on Penicillin which I am not allergic to.
Am now using non adhesive pads and crepe bandages. Thank you for the garbage bag and saran wrap hint. I find not getting a shower, makes me feel uncomfortable. i will us that as I find showering takes away lots of aches and stiffness.
Although a UK citizen I am resident in Canada and find thier medical system not as responsive. so now taking steps to educate myself about these ulcers. This is my 13th week of antibiotics and one week of compression.
This article has been most informative. Thank you.

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Jms9002 said on 02 January 2012

I have a venous ankle ulcer and had to take care of it after learning how to do it from a Doctor. It took 9 weeks to heal each time.
What I do is order premier una boot dressing 3 inch wide by 10 yds, (has zinc oxide and calamine paste impregnated)
For each unna boot dressing I order 3m Coban wrap, 4 inch wide. I found the latex free does not work as well or wears out to quick.
There are web sites where this can be ordered for a reasonable price.
From there I wrap the foot and calf like instructions show, starting from behind the toes and going up to calf overlapping 1/2 inch, then back down. Keep it loose, don't wrap the zinc pasted gause tight. My ulcer was on the inner ankle, so I wrapped a few extra times there.
Then I wrap the elastic Coban the same way. This time apply a little pressure that is comfortable. The pressure from the Coban wrap helps the blood flow like it should and not pool.
Leave it on for one week at a time. I kept a nylon sock over it to help keep it clean. Place a plastic bag around it when taking a shower. I used a black plastic garbage bag the held it on top by going around with Saran wrap.
Use a scisors to cut it off and replace immediatly by the same method above.
I ussually cut it off, take a shower and replace.
It will heal in time. I have pictures if you need to see the before and after. Not all venous ulcers will heal the same, but if you catch it early enough it will heal sooner. I believe once you have one you will always have one that may come back. Lack of sleep is what caused mine to resurface in a spot just below the previous one.
I hope this helps - the cost is not that bad and it gets easier to do once you have done it a few times.

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