Current management of venous ulceration.

It has been estimated that chronic venous insufficiency affects 10 to 35 percent of the entire U.S. population and that 4 percent of people older than 65 have active venous ulcers. The high prevalence of the disease results in an annual expenditure of more than 1 billion dollars a year to the U.S. health care system. To have a rational approach toward patients with venous ulcers, it is important to understand the pathophysiology and clinical characteristics of the disease process, in order to initiate appropriate treatment and prevent venous ulcer recurrence.