This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Aetiology

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Causes include:

  • vascular (1)
    • venous - ulceration following deep venous thrombosis, varicose veins
    • arterial - ischaemia, atherosclerosis, arteriovenous malformation
    • mixed
    • vasculitis - systemic lupus erythematosis, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, polyarteritis nodosa, Wegener's granulomatosis
    • lymphatic
  • neuropathic - diabetes, tabes dorsalis, spina bifida, leprosy in endemic areas, peripheral neuropathy (1)
  • metabolic - diabetes, gout,
  • haematological - haemolytic anaemia, especially sickle cell disease, hereditary spherocytosis, polycythaemia rubra vera
  • malignancy - usually squamous cell skin carcinoma. Also Marjolin's ulcer or Bowen's disease
  • rheumatoid arthritis - ulceration is multifactorial
  • panniculitis - necrobiosis lipoidica - may be diabetic
  • gumma
  • pyoderma gangrenosum - often associated with ulcerative colitis
  • trauma e.g. traumatic flap lacerations over the shin; artefact, burns, cold injury, pressure sore, radiation, factitious (1)

Many leg ulcers have a multifactorial aetiology e.g. arterial ischaemia, venous hypertension, anaemia, infection (2).

Reference:


Create an account to add page annotations

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.