Chronic wound repair and healing in older adults: current status and future research.
Older adults are more likely to have chronic wounds than younger people, and the effect of chronic wounds on quality of life is particularly profound in this population. Wound healing slows with age, but the basic biology underlying chronic wounds and the influence of age-associated changes on wound healing are poorly understood. Most studies have used in vitro approaches and various animal models, but observed changes translate poorly to human healing conditions. The effect of age and accompanying multimorbidity on the effectiveness of existing and emerging treatment approaches for chronic wounds is also unknown, and older adults tend to be excluded from randomized clinical trials. Poorly defined outcomes and variables; lack of standardization in data collection; and variations in the definition, measurement, and treatment of wounds also hamper clinical studies. The Association of Specialty Professors, in conjunction with the National Institute on Aging and the Wound Healing Society, held a workshop, summarized in this article, to explore the current state of knowledge and research challenges, engage investigators across disciplines, and identify research questions to guide future study of age-associated changes in chronic wound healing.
Wound Recovery and Hyperbaric Medicine Center, Kent Hospital, Warwick, Rhode Island.
Lisa
L
Gould
Peter
P
Abadir
Harold
H
Brem
Marissa
M
Carter
Teresa
T
Conner-Kerr
Jeff
J
Davidson
Luisa
L
DiPietro
Vincent
V
Falanga
Caroline
C
Fife
Sue
S
Gardner
Elizabeth
E
Grice
John
J
Harmon
William R
WR
Hazzard
Kevin P
KP
High
Pamela
P
Houghton
Nasreen
N
Jacobson
Robert S
RS
Kirsner
Elizabeth J
EJ
Kovacs
David
D
Margolis
Frances
F
McFarland Horne
May J
MJ
Reed
Dennis H
DH
Sullivan
Stephen
S
Thom
Marjana
M
Tomic-Canic
Jeremy
J
Walston
Jo Anne
JA
Whitney
John
J
Williams
Susan
S
Zieman
Kenneth
K
Schmader
D000368:Aged; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000639:trends; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D012883:Skin Ulcer / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014945:Wound Healing
chronic wound; diabetic foot ulcer; pressure ulcer; venous leg ulcer; wound healing; wound repair