title: Epidemiology of chronic wound patients and relation to serum levels of mannan-binding lectin.
abstract: The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiology of chronic wounds in a large cohort of patients from a tertiary hospital out-patient clinic, and examine the significance of serum mannan-binding lectin for the occurrence and clinical presentation of such wounds. The study comprised 489 consecutive patients with chronic foot and leg ulcers. A clinical classification of wound- aetiology was performed, and mannan-binding lectin was measured in the sera of patients and healthy controls. The patients presented with 639 wounds altogether; diabetic foot ulcers (309), venous leg ulcers (188), arterial ulcers (109), and vasculitis (33). The mannan-binding lectin levels of patients with venous leg ulcer, alone or in combination with other types of wounds, differed significantly from the control group, and the frequency of values < 100 ng/ml was significantly higher. In diabetic and arterial ulcer patients the frequency of values >or= 3000 ng/ml was significantly higher than that of the control group. This suggests a role for the innate immunity in the pathology of venous leg ulcers, and indicates different roles for mannan-binding lectin in the development of ulcers with different aetiologies; it further suggests that mannan-binding lectin substitution should be tested in a controlled clinical trial.
authors.affiliation: Copenhagen Wound Healing Center, University of Copenhagen, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. mibi@dadlnet.dk
authors.forename: Mikael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bitsch
authors.forename: Inga
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Laursen
authors.forename: Anne-Mari
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Engel
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Christiansen
authors.forename: Severin Olesen
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.forename: Line
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Iversen
authors.forename: Per E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Holstein
authors.forename: Tonny
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Karlsmark
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007871:Leg Ulcer / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D037601:Mannose-Binding Lectin / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D014657:Vasculitis / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D037601:Mannose-Binding Lectin