Prevalence of venous leg ulcer: the importance of the data collection method
Olle NELZEN Skaraborg Leg Ulcer Centre & Dept of Vascular Surgery Skaraborg Hospital/KSS Skövde, Sweden ABSTRACT Many epidemiological studies have been performed to assess leg ulcer prevalence, but not all have given reliable results due to weaknesses in the methodology. A proper prevalence assessment is not easily done and requires time and effort. Most studies have just focused on prevalence of leg ulcers of all causes and only a few have really validated the leg ulcer diagnosis objectively by use of hand-held Doppler, color Doppler ultrasound, or plethysmography. There are many pitfalls in performing a prevalence study of venous leg…