Guide To The Causes Of Leg Ulcers

A leg ulcer an open wound or sore that develops on an individual's leg. Symptoms include pus at the ulcer site, increasing wound size, enlarged veins, pain at the ulcer site, heaviness in the legs, and swelling in the legs. Medical history, physical examination, CT scan, MRI scan, vascular ultrasound, and x-rays may be used to diagnose leg ulcers. The main concern when it comes to leg ulcers is the risk of developing an infection in the wound that progresses to a life-threatening blood infection.

Thankfully, there are many leg ulcer treatment options out there. Patients may need compression bandages to treat their ulcers. Leg ulcer medication includes antibiotics for infections as well as medication for circulation, topical ointments, and pain medication. Leg ulcer wound care should also include natural treatments and home remedies for leg ulcers, such as diet changes and braces or orthotics. Overall, the best leg ulcer treatment can vary based on the underlying cause. Get to know the common causes now.

Venous Insufficiency

An individual affected by venous insufficiency can develop leg ulcers as a complication. Chronic venous insufficiency is a condition where an individual's venous valves in the legs do not function well enough. The valves in the veins of the legs move blood back to the heart so it can be reoxygenated. However, chronic venous insufficiency patients tend to experience blood pooling in the legs because it gets backed up. When blood pools in an individual's legs, fluid in the blood is forced into the surrounding tissues, causing edema.

Edema left untreated can compress the capillaries responsible for blood delivery to the skin and its underlying fatty tissues. When these tissues become deprived of oxygen, the skin cells begin to die and form a sore or an ulcer. The ulcers can also be relatively painless due to the lack of nerve cell function in the affected area, which results in delayed treatment and infection.

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Hypertension

Leg ulcers may be caused by long-term high blood pressure, which is also referred to as hypertension. Blood pressure is the measurement of the amount of force blood is placing on the blood vessels as it is moving through them. Leg ulcers are a complication that can occur in individuals who have poorly controlled hypertension. The exact mechanism of leg ulcer development from hypertension is not well established. However, it is thought to involve the narrowing of the small capillaries responsible for supplying nutrients and oxygen to the skin and underlying fatty tissues.

The narrowed capillaries that feed the skin cause an increased amount of resistance to the blood that needs to flow through them, which causes a reduction in the amount of blood affected tissues receive. Some believe that it is an ischemic process that occurs in hypertension patients that causes the skin cells to die, resulting in the development of sores and ulcers in the legs.

Get more details on the causes of leg ulcers now.