Why Chronic Wounds Refuse to Heal: The Hidden Science Behind Stubborn Sores
Even though the term "chronic wound" is extensively used, no simple definition has been agreed upon. A wound that does not follow the normal trajectory has been proposed, however, a more realistic definition is "an ulcer or wound that is more than three months old."
Chronic wounds have a significant economic burden. A chronic wound affects one to two percent of the population, and wound care accounts for 4% of total healthcare costs in the Western world.
Every chronic wound begins as a fresh wound. Most acute wounds heal without incident through the well-known, yet underappreciated, processes of inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling.
A chronic wound is rare to develop in a healthy person. In general, the patient must have one or more physiologic impairments, however, the initial trauma may be the direct source of the healing impairment.
Contributing factor of the healing impairment:
- Edema
- Infection
- Dead tissue
- Impaired blood supply
Venous Leg Ulcer:
Patients with venous insufficiency commonly develop venous leg ulcers. Small valve abnormalities in the veins of the lower extremity are the cause of venous insufficiency. These may be lost as a result of deep vein thrombosis, overload brought on by obesity, and a variety of other factors. Since the treatment options are determined by the accurate diagnosis of the wounds.
As the main factor of the non-healing of venous leg ulcers is edema, managing this with compression therapy is mandatory and usually will lead to healing.
Diabetic Foot Ulcer:
In Diabetic foot ulcers poor blood supply, or ischemia and repetitive stress due to neuropathy are the main contributors. Hence restoration of blood circulation and off-loading usually will result in healing.
Pressure Ulcer:
Pressure Ulcer is a type of skin damage brought on by prolonged, continuous pressure on a particular area of the skin. This pressure may reduce blood supply to the injured location, which could cause tissue death and damage. On the skin that covers bony parts of the body, such as the back, tailbone, hips, buttocks, elbows, heels, and ankles, pressure ulcers frequently develop. Pressure ulcers are more likely to develop in patients who are unable to change positions or get out of bed, or who always use a wheelchair.
Cancer-related Ulcer:
Some chronic ulcers are by definition non-healing unless the underlying cause is eradicated like cancer ulcers with chemotherapy or irradiation, yet new problems can emerge due to damage by the treatment.
Other factors:
It's vital to understand that increasing the age and weight of the population in the world some of the conditions normally associated with diseases, such as neuropathy and edema will be present in normal persons. As part of natural aging, the sensation in the feet declines, making it typical (and hence normal) for an 85-year-old without diabetes to develop a foot ulcer. Even in those who do not have venous insufficiency, obesity worsens tissue edema in the lower legs, which interferes with recovery.
When a wound develops, microorganisms invade it right away. Normally, the innate and adaptive immune defense system eliminates these germs. The typical healing process takes care of this. The immune defense system cannot eliminate the germs if the microorganisms are particularly virulent, the healing is hampered, as in skin with edema, or the healing is altered, as in diabetic foot ulcers. If the bacteria are particularly virulent, this will cause an infection and colonization with less virulent germs, thus contributing to the non-healing of wounds.
Why Chronic Wounds Refuse to Heal: The Hidden Science Behind Stubborn Sores
Reviewed by Areeba Waheed
on
May 01, 2023
Rating: 5
