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LEARN ABOUT VENOUS LEG ULCERS

Treating your leg wound with compression may not be treating the cause — you may have chronic venous insufficiency.

LOOK BEYOND YOUR WOUND, FIND ANSWERS.

Understanding the Cause of Venous Leg Ulcers

Healthy leg veins have valves that keep blood flowing to the heart. Venous reflux develops when the valves stop working properly and allow blood to flow backward (i.e. reflux) and pool in the lower leg veins.

Healthy and Diseased Leg Veins
Illustration showing a venous leg ulcer near the ankle

Venous Reflux

Venous reflux is a progressive medical condition and if left untreated, may worsen over time and develop into a more serious form of venous disease called chronic venous insufficiency (CVI).1

Chronic Venous Insufficiency

If CVI is left untreated, legs can sometimes develop painful sores or wounds on the skin’s surface called ulcers.  Normally ulcers appear near the ankles or lower leg and are brought on from the increased build-up of fluid and blood pressure from veins affected by CVI.1

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

CVI and venous leg ulcers are more common than you think

  • More than 190 million people around  the world suffer from CVI.2
  • 70-90% of all ulcers below the knee are venous (caused by diseased veins).3,4
  • More than half of venous ulcers treated are recurrent ulcerations5

Due to pain, mobility limitations and other consequences, venous leg ulcers have been associated with increased rates of depression and substantial decreases in patient quality of life.6-8

EARLIER TREATMENT LEADS TO BETTER OUTCOMES

Don’t wait to find treatment for your venous leg ulcers

A recent study showed that patients who received early vein closure treatment along with compression stocking therapy for venous leg ulcers experienced:9

  • Significantly shorter time to healing
  • Extended time free from ulcers
EXPLORE OUR TREATMENTS

RELATED CONTENT

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Information on this site should not be used as a substitute for talking with your doctor. Always talk with your doctor about diagnosis and treatment information.

1

Eberhardt RT, Raffetto JD. Chronic venous insufficiency. Circulation. 2014;130:333-346.

2

Strategic Market Assessment: Chronic Venous Insufficiency. Dymedex Consulting, LLC. November 2014.

3

O’Donnell TF Jr, Passman MA, Marston WA, et al. Management of venous leg ulcers: Clinical Practice Guidelines of the Society for Vascular Surgery® and the American Venous Forum. J Vasc. Surg. August 2014;60(2 Suppl):3S-59S.

4

Rice J (2014). Burden of venous leg ulcers in the United States. Journal of Medical Economics. 17(5), 347-356.

5

The Outpatient Wound Clinic Market 2013 Report and Analytics, Net Health Analytics (2010-2012 claims data).

6

Valencia IC, Falabella A, Kirsner RS, et al. Chronic venous insufficiency and venous leg ulceration. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2001;44:401-21.

7

Phillips T, Stanton B, Provan A, et al. A study of the impact of leg ulcers on quality of life: financial, social, and psychologic implications. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1994;31:49-53.

8

Green J, Jester R. Health-related quality of life and chronic venous leg ulceration: part 1. Wound Care 2009;December:S12-S17.

9

Gohel MS, Heatley F, Liu X, et al. A Randomized Trial of Early Endovenous Ablation in Venous Ulceration. N Engl J Med. May 31, 2018;378(22)2105-2114.