Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37293810›Full record

SynthesisInternational wound journal2023

Prevalence and incidence of venous leg ulcers-A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Sebastian Probst, Camille Saini, Géraldine Gschwind, Alessio Stefanelli, Paul Bobbink, Marie-Thérèse Pugliese, Sezen Cekic, Damien Pastor, Georgina Gethin

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in International wound journal, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 64 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
64citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

64 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Guideline
  4. Pooled it
  5. Trial
  6. Trial
  7. Trial
  8. Trial
  9. Trial
  10. Trial
  11. Trial
  12. Trial
  13. The Impact of a Multidisciplinary Patient Education Program on Venous Leg Ulcer Healing: A Randomised Controlled Trial.Wound repair and regeneration : official publication of the Wound Healing Society [and] the European Tissue Repair Society
    Trial
  14. Article
  15. Review
  16. The Wound-Heart Axis: Can Chronic Wounds Contribute to Cardiac Dysfunction?International journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Review
  17. Observational
  18. Article
  19. Review
  20. Article

4 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Sebastian ProbstGeneva School of Health Science, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Western Switzerland, Geneva, Switzerland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9603-1570
Camille SainiGeneva School of Health Science, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Western Switzerland, Geneva, Switzerland.
Géraldine GschwindGeneva School of Health Science, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Western Switzerland, Geneva, Switzerland.
Alessio StefanelliGeneva School of Health Science, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Western Switzerland, Geneva, Switzerland.
Paul BobbinkGeneva School of Health Science, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Western Switzerland, Geneva, Switzerland.
Marie-Thérèse PuglieseGeneva School of Health Science, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Western Switzerland, Geneva, Switzerland.
Sezen CekicDepartment of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Damien PastorDepartment of Dermatology and Venereology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
Georgina GethinGeneva School of Health Science, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Western Switzerland, Geneva, Switzerland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Venous leg ulcers (VLU) represent a major public health challenge. Little is known about the prevalence and incidence of VLU internationally. Published studies are usually reporting different estimates because of disparities in study designs and measurement methods. Therefore, we conducted a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to identify the prevalence and incidence of VLU internationally and to characterise the population as reported in these studies. Studies were identified from searches in Medline (PubMed), CINAHL Complete (EBSCOhost), Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, LiSSa (Littérature Scientifique en Santé), Google Scholar and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews up to November 2022. Studies were included if their primary outcomes were reported as a period prevalence or point prevalence or cumulative incidence or incidence VLU rate. Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria, 10 reporting estimates of prevalence, three reporting both prevalence and incidence estimates and one incidence. All were included in meta-analyses. The results show a pooled prevalence of 0.32% and a pooled incidence of 0.17%. Our results highlighted an extreme heterogeneity across effect sizes for both prevalence and incidence, which prevent a meaningful interpretation of pooled indexes and argue for further studies with specific prevalence-type reported and target population under study.

Indexed as

Varicose UlcerHumansIncidencePrevalenceincidencemeta-analysisprevalencesystematic reviewvenous leg ulcer

Identifiers

PMID37293810
PMCPMC10588327

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.