Healthcare beliefs of Indian patients living with leg and foot ulcers.

This article presents the results of a previously unexplored aspect of qualitative leg ulcer research. The study has examined the lived experience and cultural illness explanations of a sample of British-Indian patients living with leg and foot ulceration. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from 16 Indian patients drawn from leg ulcer clinics and district nursing lists in Ealing Primary Care Trust and Hounslow Primary Care Trust. Eight respondents had venous ulceration, seven were diabetic and had ulcers of arterial aetiology, and one had ulceration due to lymphoedema. Popular perceptions of the cause of leg ulceration were influenced by the humoral theories of balance and imbalance. Other explanations included poor circulation, lowered immunity, bad blood, being cursed and doing something wrong in a past life or this life.