What are the classifications and dangers of lower extremity ulcers?

In recent years, as the prevalence of various chronic diseases increases year by year, it has led to a high incidence of lower extremity chronic ulcers such as diabetic foot, lower extremity venous ulcers, and arterial ulcers, which are related to them. What exactly is a lower extremity ulcer? And how dangerous is it? Lower limb ulcers are mainly caused by peripheral vascular diseases, which can be roughly divided into the following two categories: one is stasis ulcers, i.e. venous ulcers, mainly caused by venous blood stasis in the lower limbs; one is ischemic ulcers, which can also be called arterial ulcers, mainly caused by insufficient blood supply to the arteries of the lower limbs, whose causes include: atherosclerotic occlusive signs, thrombo-occlusive vasculitis, aortitis, arterial embolism and so on. Most of the venous ulcers of the lower limbs are not immediately life-threatening, but because of the months or even years or decades of persistence, it seriously affects the recovery and quality of life of patients with primary diseases, and also brings heavy care and economic burden to families, and a few ulcers can become cancerous. If the infection spreads, it can lead to complications such as sepsis, which will not only aggravate the original disease but also endanger the patient’s life. Arterial ulcers, on the other hand, are huge ulcers or necrosis that invade deeper tissues of the limb due to arterial ischemia, leading to extensive debridement or amputation at different levels, which seriously affects the quality of life of patients. It is noteworthy that with the marked increase in the prevalence of diabetes in the population, the number of patients with diabetic foot is also increasing year by year. The diabetic foot is a chronic, progressive vascular disease caused by limb ischemia, neuropathy, infection, and a variety of predisposing factors. The relative risk of amputation is 40 times higher in diabetic patients than in the general population, and up to 50% of diabetic amputation patients will suffer re-amputation within 5 years. These seemingly “low-tech” ulcers have not attracted enough attention from doctors in China. In fact, this is one of the current technical problems facing domestic and international surgical clinics. In our Lower Extremity Ulcer Treatment Center, we have gathered professional doctors and wound nurses to provide timely treatment for the cause of ulcers, as well as proper local treatment of ulcers, with mostly satisfactory results. The treatment of lower extremity ulcers is a chronic process, with particular emphasis on correct living habits. As the saying goes, it is better to read a thousand books than to travel a thousand miles, so let’s work together to reduce the chances of lower limb ulcers and return a pair of healthy legs to everyone.