Quality of life of patients with chronic venous ulcers and socio-demographic factors.

UNLABELLED:  The aim of this study was to measure the quality of life of patients with venous ulcers and to identify associated socio-demographic factors. METHODS: Thirty patients in the Angiology and Vascular Surgery Outpatients Clinic of Hospital of Faculty of Medicine in São José do Rio Preto Medical School (FAMERP), São Paulo, Brazil, participated in the investigation. Twenty-one (70%) were women and 9 (30%) were men, with ages ranging between 46 years and 72 years (mean of 56.5 years). After patients gave consent, socio-demographic data were collected and the SF-36 questionnaire was applied. The Mann-Whitney test and Spearman's coefficient were employed in the statistical analysis. RESULTS: The disease and the evaluated socio-demographic factors affected the quality of life of these patients. The functional capacity, pain, vitality, and physical and social aspects are better for married men compared to single or separated men. The social aspect is also better for active individuals. CONCLUSION: Quality of life is affected in patients with venous ulcers. Socio-demographic aspects, such as gender, marital status, and occupation may influence quality of life. .

Venous leg ulcers and emotional consequences.

Venous leg ulcers are a chronic disease that affects populations around the world. For sufferers, it leads to physical, social, economic, and emotional consequences. The aim of this study was to assess the presence of anxiety and depression, as well as to investigate possible associations with sociodemographic variables. A total of 30 patients, both men and women, with venous ulcers receiving care under outpatient treatment in a teaching hospital of a provincial city of São Paulo State, were included in this study. The evaluation tools used were the following: the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and a sociodemographic questionnaire that included job status, religion, marital status, gender, duration of disease, and age. A descriptive analysis of the data was performed. Statistical analysis used means, the Student t test, and the chi( 2) test. Anxiety was identified in 30% of the patients and depression in 40%. No statistically significant correlation was found between anxiety or depression and the sociodemographic variables. Patients with chronic venous ulcers may present with anxiety and depression independent of socioeconomic variables such as religion, occupation, marital status, and duration of lesion.