ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Chronic leg ulcer may have an impact on patients' quality of life. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify the impact of leg ulcers on patient's quality of life using the Dermatology Life Quality Index and to define the main factors correlated with this perception. METHOD: Cross-sectional, non-probabilistic sampling study. We included patients with chronic leg ulcers being treated for at least 3 months. A sociodemographic and clinical survey was conducted to assess the profile of the ulcers. We administered a screening for depressive symptoms and the Dermatology Life Quality Index. We performed a descriptive statistical analysis, chi-square test and Mann-Whitney test for categorical data, Pearson for numeric variables, and multiple regression for categorical data. RESULTS: Forty-one patients were assessed. Their mean age was 61.78 years. Venous ulcers (48.8%) were the most prevalent. Seventy-three percent of the sample perceived no impact/low impact on quality of life in the past week, and 26.8% perceived moderate/high impact. A multiple regression analysis identified the causes of lesion, pain related to the ulcers, time of onset, and severity of the depressive symptoms as the variables that had an influence on quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of the sample perceived low or no impact of the condition on the quality of the life. The variables etiology of the lesion (p<0.001), pain related to the ulcers (p=0.001), time of onset (p=0.006), and severity of the depressive symptoms (p<0.001) had an influence on the quality of life, suggesting the need for further studies with more robust designs to confirm the causal relationship between these characteristics and quality of life. .
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Middle Aged , Aged , Leg Ulcer/psychology , Quality of Life , Anthropometry , Brazil , Chronic Disease , Cross-Sectional Studies , Depression/physiopathology , Diagnostic Self Evaluation , Leg Ulcer/physiopathology , Pain Measurement , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Psychometrics , Surveys and Questionnaires , Severity of Illness Index , Sex Factors , Socioeconomic FactorsABSTRACT
Na hanseníase as úlceras podem surgir, principalmente,pelo fato de existirem áreas anestésicas, que com facilidade podem ser traumatizadas, queimadas e secundariamente infectadas. Este estudo teve por objetivo tratar as úlceras de membro inferior de pacientes com seqüelas de hanseníase por meio do implante de queratinócitos autólogos. Participaram 14 pacientes,sendo seis com uma única úlcera, quatro com mais de uma úlcera no mesmo membro inferior e quatro com úlceras nos dois membros, totalizando 31 úlceras...
The occurrence of ulcers in leprosy is mainly due to the existence of numb areas that can easily undergo trauma and burns and there after become secondarily infected. This study aimed to treat ulcers in lower limbs of patients with leprosy sequelae through the implantation of autologous keratinocytes. The study consisted offourteen patients (six with a single ulcer, four with more than one ulcer in the same limb and four with ulcers in both limbs) with a total of 31 ulcers...