[Venous leg ulcer. Management, care , quality of life].

The treatment of patients with chronic leg ulcers should always be based on aetiological diagnosis and tailored to the individual patient. In a Swedish study, medical staff responsible for such treatment were found to have been unsure of the aetiological diagnosis in as many as 40 per cent of the cases. Large gains, both to the patients and to the community, can be made by systematic treatment by an interdisciplinary team that consistently evaluates the effect of treatment. Treatment should include causal therapy, topical wound treatment, and treatment of oedema and eczema, and the focus should be on such aspects of quality of life as pain, sleep, nutrition and physical activity.