A prospective, descriptive study of hour-to-hour and day-to-day temperature variability of skin affected by chronic venous disorders.

Evidence suggests that skin temperature is elevated in the lower legs of individuals with the most severe stages of chronic venous disorder-related skin inflammation. Fifteen (15) patients (average age 67.7 years) with several chronic health conditions, chronic venous disorders, and a history of leg ulcers volunteered to participate in a prospective, descriptive, two-part (hourly and daily) study to test two hypotheses: 1) that skin temperature variations of chronically inflamed skin of lower legs affected by chronic venous disorders exhibit no differences in hour-to-hour and day-to-day rhythmic patterns associated with sleep and activities such as walking, exercise, or compression stocking use among four selected skin sites (two per leg) or between the legs of individuals with chronic venous disorders; and 2) that the difference in temperature between sites is unequal between legs. All study participants were at high risk for developing venous ulcers (CEAP stage 4 and 5). Skin temperature was obtained at sites with highest temperatures and/or areas of healed ulcers and mapped hourly over a 2-day period with a data logger and daily for 30 days with an infrared thermometer. No consistent, visually detectable effects due to caffeine use, eating, activity, or other variables assessed were found; only sleeping resulted in a consistent increase in skin temperature. Difference in skin temperature between measurement sites was found to be dependent on the leg on which the sites were located (P=0.1127). Because skin temperature variability could not be explained by the variables assessed, a temperature change could suggest the presence of a pathological process such as an infection or increased inflammation. Future studies to determine whether variability of skin temperature over sites affected by chronic venous disorders heralds further skin impairment are warranted.