title: Venous leg ulcer in the context of chronic venous disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Chronic venous disease (CVD) is a frequent disorder with a high socioeconomic impact. Little is known about the possible differences between healed ulcer (C5 group) and active ulcer (C6 group) in terms of disease severity and quality of life (QoL). Our aim was to determine the possible differences in severity disease and QoL between the C5-C6 and C1 (control) group.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from a national, multicentre, observational and cross-sectional study (n = 1598) were used to compare three groups of CVD: C1 (n = 243), C5 (n = 136) and C6 (n = 70). CVD severity was assessed with the Venous Clinical Severity Score (VCSS) and QoL with the Short Form 12 Health Survey (SF-12) and Chronic Lower Limb Venous Insufficiency Questionnaire (CIVIQ-20).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with active ulcers had a higher mean total VCSS than patients with healed ulcers (P < 0.05). Both SF-12 and CIVIQ-20 QoL questionnaires indicated a poorer QoL in patients with ulcers than in those with C1 (P < 0.05). Compared with the C5 group, patients with active ulcers (C6) had lower QoL scores, but the differences were not statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with venous leg ulcers (C5-C6) are associated with high severity and poor QoL. However, the healing of a leg ulcer did not contribute to improvement of QoL.
authors.affiliation: Department of Angiology and Vascular Surgery, IBSAL-Hospital Universitario de Salamanca, Spain.
authors.forename: F S
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Lozano Sánchez
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marinel lo Roura
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Carrasco Carrasco
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: González-Porras
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Escudero Rodríguez
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sánchez Nevarez
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Díaz Sánchez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014647:Varicose Ulcer / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014689:Venous Insufficiency / Q000175:diagnosis
keywords: CEAP classification; CIVIQ Questionnaire; Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12); Venous Clinical Severity Score; chronic venous disease; quality of life; venous ulcer