Measuring the Health Status of Patients with Vascular Leg Ulcers and the Burden for their Caregivers

Objectives: To assess the health status of patients with leg ulcers and the impact and consequences of such chronic disease on the life of their caregivers. Design: Observational study in a "day care" setting. Material: Administration of the Short Form-12 questionnaire and of Visual Analogue Scales for pain to patients; of the Family Strain Questionnaire to caregivers. Methods: Eighty consecutive patients with leg ulcers and their principal caregivers were observed in the period January-August 2006. Results: The emotional burden and problem in social involvement were statistically significantly higher in caregivers for patients with worse SF-12 scores on the physical scale. Values of emotional burden were lower than those observed for cancer patients and for patients in a persistent vegetative state; however, they were higher than those observed for patients with neurological, respiratory, or renal conditions. The score for social involvement was significantly higher for caregivers of patient with vascular leg ulcers compared to other diseases, with the single exception of the persistent vegetative state. Conclusions: Leg ulcers alter the relationship between family members, and the physical impairment causes significant strain on the caregiver. The improvement of physical health status in patients with leg ulcers may induce a reduction in the emotional burden and an improvement in the social involvement for caregivers. © 2007 European Society for Vascular Surgery.