[Vascular disease and diabetic foot - between the academic knowledge and clinical reality]

Impact of compression therapy using Unna's boot on the self-esteem of patients with venous leg ulcers

OBJECTIVE

To assess self-esteem in patients with venous leg ulcers treated with Unna's boot. •

METHOD

A descriptive, analytic, clinical study was conducted from June 2010 to May 2011 in an outpatient wound care clinic in São Paulo, Brazil. Patients of both sexes, aged ≥18 years, who had had a venous leg ulcer for more than one year and a Doppler ankle brachial index ranging from 0.8-1.0 were consecutively selected for inclusion. Patients were treated with wound dressings and Unna's boot. Self-esteem was assessed using the Brazilian version of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE) at inclusion (baseline) and after 4, 8, and 12 months of compression therapy using Unna's boot. The scale is reverse-scored; thus lower scores indicate higher levels of self-esteem. •

RESULTS

The patients showed a slight but significant improvement in self-esteem after 4 months of treatment (mean RSE score=17.12) compared with baseline (mean RSE score=24.90). However, a marked and significant improvement in self-esteem was observed after 8 months (mean RSE score=7.40) and 12 months (mean RSE score=2.10) of compression therapy using Unna's boot. •

CONCLUSION

Patients with venous leg ulcers treated with Unna's boot for 12 months showed a significant improvement in self-esteem •

DECLARATION OF INTEREST

All authors declare that no competing financial interests exist. There was no external funding for this study.