Clinical history of venous leg ulcers: a retrospective analysis of 352 cases

Introduction: Venous leg ulcers are a frequent complication of chronic venous insufficiency and are often associated with long disease duration and a high rate of recurrence. Analysis of their the clinical history of venous leg ulcers is essential for optimizing therapeutic strategies and improving patient outcomes. Aim: The aim of this study was to analyse the chronicity of venous leg ulcers based on the clinical history of patients treated at a specialized outpatient clinic. Material and methods: This retrospective analysis included patients treated between 2020 and 2023 with a diagnosis of I83.0 or I83.2 according to ICD-10. Of the initial 672 patients registered, 352 met the inclusion criteria: complete clinical documentation from the first visit and a normal ankle-brachial index (ABI 0.9-1.3). Patients with incomplete documentation or an abnormal ABI were excluded. Results: Of the 352 patients, 104 (29.5%) were under 60 years of age at the time of admission to the clinic. Among them, 8 men were under 40 years of age and 18 women were under 50 years of age. Bilateral ulcers were present in 11 patients (7 women, 4 men). Ulcers were more common on the left leg (52.6%). The longest duration of a single ulcer was 54 years. In 26.9% of patients, the current ulcer had been present for 10 to 60 years. The clinical history showed a total of 522 ulcer recurrences, ranging from 1 to 9 per patient. On average, every second patient experienced at least one recurrence during their lifetime. Conclusions: A detailed analysis of the clinical history of ulcers can provide a better understanding of the course of the disease, support therapeutic decisions, and serve to assess the effectiveness of treatment methods.