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Lower Limb Ulcers

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Abstract

Ulcer is a loss of lining fabric. It is not a disease but a manifestation of some underlying problem that requires evaluation and treatment. Leg ulcers are a public health problem because it afflicts about 1–2 % of the population in developed Western countries and about 4 % of people over 65 years. The most frequent causes of ulceration are: (1) vascular (venous, arterial, lymphatic, vasculitis); (2) neuropathic (diabetic neuropathy, Hansen’s disease, etc.); (3) Mmetabolic (porphyria); (4) neoplastic (Kaposi’s sarcoma, basal cell carcinomas, and adenocarcinomas); (5) hematologic (cryoglobulinemia, sickle cell anemia, spherocytosis, polycythemia, etc.); (6) infectious and parasitic diseases (bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and parasites); and undefined. Topical treatment consists in the use of dressings and local agents, and this is only a part of the treatment. It must be stressed that the cause of the ulcer should be treated and interdisciplinary monitoring is required.

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Abbreviations

Ag:

Silver

ABI:

Ankle-brachial index

mmHg:

Millimeters of mercury

pH:

Hydrogen potential

WIfI:

Wound, ischemia, and foot infection

Psi:

Per square inch

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Vascular Surgery, Hospital Universitário Risoleta Tolentino Neves, Rua das Gabirobas, 01 Vila Clóris, Belo Horizonte, 31744012, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Alessandra Rocha Luz, Marina Cristina de Souza Pereira da Silva M.D. & Renata de Moura Vergara M.D.

  2. Department of Vascular Surgery, Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Professor Alfredo Balena, 190 Santa Efigênia, Belo Horizonte, 30130100, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Marina Cristina de Souza Pereira da Silva M.D. & Renata de Moura Vergara M.D.

  3. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Professor Alfredo Balena, 190, Santa Efigênia, Belo Horizonte, 30130100, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Marina Santos Falci Mourão M.D.

Authors
  1. Alessandra Rocha Luz
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  2. Marina Cristina de Souza Pereira da Silva M.D.
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  3. Renata de Moura Vergara M.D.
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  4. Marina Santos Falci Mourão M.D.
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Correspondence to Alessandra Rocha Luz .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Vascular Surgery, Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Tulio Pinho Navarro

  2. Yale Univ School Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

    Alan Dardik

  3. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Daniela Junqueira

  4. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizone, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Ligia Cisneros

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Luz, A.R., de Souza Pereira da Silva, M.C., de Moura Vergara, R., Mourão, M.S.F. (2017). Lower Limb Ulcers. In: Navarro, T., Dardik, A., Junqueira, D., Cisneros, L. (eds) Vascular Diseases for the Non-Specialist. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46059-8_17

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