Hinojosa CA, Ciambelli DA

Language: Spanish
References: 11
Page: 24-28
PDF size: 28.62 Kb.

ABSTRACT

Background: Venous insufficiency of the lower limbs is one of the most common vascular diseases. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic inflammatory disease that can affect blood vessels and skin. Clinical characteristics of pelvic limb ulcers are unknown in these type of patients.
Objective: Our aim was to evaluate the clinical characteristics of the lower limbs venous ulcers in patients with SLE.
Methods: In the summer 2010 we included all consecutive patients with SLE and ulcers in lower extremity seen in the Wound Clinic of the Vascular Surgery Department at the INCMNSZ and compared them with subjects with ulcers in lower extremity but without a diagnosis of SLE. We evaluated demographic variables and the clinical characteristics of the ulcers were assessed using AutoCAD 2009 ^® (Autodesk. USA) to calculate the area (cm²), depth (mm), granulation tissue, fibrin, slough and healing time during follow-up . The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v.15.0 with Fisher exact test and Mann-Whitney U as appropriate.
Outcome: Five patients with SLE and 14 control patients were included, all of them female. SLE patients had lower age (42.4 ± 6.8 vs. 60.21 ± 17.3 years, p = 0.026), shorter duration between first visit and the closure of the ulcer (7.2 ± 8.9 vs. 43.29 ± 37.6 weeks, p ‹ 0.01). There were no differences in initial ulcer area, depth, amount of fibrin and slough between the two groups.
Conclusion: In patients with SLE, the lower extremity ulcers occur at younger age and the treatment time to closure is lower. No other difference was found.

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