Multicentre Study of Chronic Wounds Point Prevalence in Primary Health Care in the Southern Metropolitan Area of Barcelona

Abstract

Background: Chronic wounds give rise to major costs and resource consumption in health care systems, due to their protracted healing time. Incidence and prevalence data are scarce or nonexistent in community settings. Objective: The aim of the present epidemiological study was to analyse and determine the prevalence of chronic wounds in the community in the south of the province of Barcelona (Spain). Design: A cross-sectional, multicentre secondary data analysis study was conducted in the community (excluding nursing homes) in Barcelona between 16 April and 13 June 2013. It included 52 primary care centres that serve a total population of 1,217,564 inhabitants. Results: The observed prevalence was 0.11%. Venous ulcers presented the highest prevalence, at 0.04%, followed by pressure injuries, at 0.03%. The >74 age group presented the highest frequency of chronic wounds, accounting for 69.4% of cases. Conclusion: The results obtained are consistent with those reported in previous similar studies conducted in Spain and elsewhere. As with most studies that adjusted their variables for age and sex, we found that the prevalence of ulcers increased with age and was higher in women, except in the case of diabetic foot ulcers and ischaemic ulcers, which were more frequent in men.

Prevalence and risk factors of diabetic foot disease among the people with type 2 diabetes using real-world practice data from Catalonia during 2018

“…Furthermore, our study is more representative of the Catalonian population. Therefore, our findings are hardly comparable to those of this recent study ( 18 ).…”

“…This percentage was lower if we compare this with the prevalence observed in a retrospective registry-based study (2.05%) from 65,534 Saudi diabetic patients during the 2000 and 2012 regardless of the type of diabetes ( 17 ). In a recent cross-sectional study developed in the southern area of the metropolitan region of Barcelona, the point prevalence of foot ulcers during a 2-month period in 2013 was 0.16% ( 18 ). That study was not specifically designed to assess the prevalence of DFD, and included the recorded diagnostic codes of different types of ulcers (including venous ulcers), without including other forms of DFD, like those of our study (amputations, osteomyelitis, Charcot disease).…”

Integrated network pharmacology and experimental validation to explore the mechanisms underlying naringenin treatment of chronic wounds

“…These stages of haemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodelling occur in a temporal sequence but show some overlap 2 . When the normal repair process is disturbed, it may lead to chronic wounds, such as diabetic foot, venous leg ulcers, and pressure sores 3 . Although a standardized, global consensus to define chronic wounds has not yet been achieved 4 , many researchers and clinicians regard a wound as a chronic wound when it has not healed within 1 month 5 , 6 .…”

A prospective, multicentre study to assess frailty in elderly patients with leg ulcers (GERAS study)

“…The prevalence of chronic wounds is reported to be 1.0% in the German population 1 and around 1.8% in the United States 2 . Particularly people aged 65 and above are affected by chronic wounds 1,3 . Due to the ageing population, an increase in incidence rates is to be expected in the near future.…”

“… 2 Particularly people aged 65 and above are affected by chronic wounds. 1 , 3 Due to the ageing population, an increase in incidence rates is to be expected in the near future. Causes for delayed healing vary from venous or arterial insufficiency, diabetes mellitus, physical pressure or trauma to more uncommon diagnoses such as a malignancy of the skin or vasculopathic disease.…”