Coping with...A VENOUS LEG ULCER

This chronic sore on the inside of the leg, between the knee and ankle, usually takes weeks to heal

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Symptoms of a venous leg ulcer include a painful ulcer, itching and swelling, surrounding discoloured or hardened skin. They can develop bacterial infection, with redness, swelling, fever and foul-smelling discharge, which may need antibiotics, but they don't help ulcers heal.

You may also have swollen ankles, aching legs, flaky, scaly and itchy skin on your legs (varicose eczema), or swollen varicose veins, which increase the risk of venous leg ulcers, the commonest ulcer, especially after a minor injury.

Venous leg ulcers affect one in 50 people over 80, who are at greater risk if they previously had deep-vein thrombosis or are less mobile from arthritis, injury, obesity or paralysis. Unless the underlying cause of a venous leg ulcer is addressed, there's a high risk of it recurring.

Most ulcers heal within six months if treated by a healthcare professional trained in compression therapy, some take longer, and a very small number never heal.

Other leg ulcers include: arterial ulcers from poor arterial circulation; diabetic leg ulcers from uncontrolled high blood sugar; vasculitic leg ulcers, associated with inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid; traumatic ulcers or cancerous leg ulcers. So, see your GP if you have a leg ulcer, as it usually requires specialist treatment. They will be able to exclude other conditions, then refer you for venous ulcer treatment by a healthcare professional trained in compression therapy, usually a practice or district nurse.