Chronic wounds are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Approximately 20?23% of non-healing wounds that are refractory to vascular intervention have other etiologies including vasculitis, pyoderma gangrenosum and other autoimmune diseases. The purpose of this article is to review the autoimmune and coagulopathic diseases that are commonly associated with leg ulceration.OBJECTIVES: To review the literature across medical and surgical specialties with regards to refractory chronic wounds associated with vasculitis and autoimmune diseases and to delineate clinical outcomes of these wounds in response to vascular and other interventions. METHODS: An electronic search encompassing MEDLINE®, PubMed®, Cochrane Library and Scopus ® was completed using the following search terms: rheumatoid arthritis; systemic sclerosis; systemic lupus erythematosus; ANCA associated vasculitis; mixed connective tissue disease; antiphospholipid syndrome; pyoderma gangrenosum; thromboangiitis obliterans; cryoglobulinemia; hydroxyurea; sickle-cell; atrophie blanche; livedoid vasculitis; cholesterol emboli; calciphylaxis; antiphospholipid antibodies; prothrombotic; combined with the terms: chronic wound and leg ulcer.Full text articles published in English up to March 1, 2016 that investigated the clinical outcomes of chronic wounds associated with autoimmune diseases were included. Review articles and evaluations of management of chronic wounds were also reviewed. Primary outcomes included in the review were amputation, ulcer healing, reduction in wound size, overall survival and freedom from reintervention. Owing to the heterogeneity of data reporting among articles, qualitative analysis is also reported. CONCLUSIONS: Autoimmune and vasculitic etiologies should be considered in patients with chronic wounds who do not respond to appropriate vascular intervention and standard local wound care. A multidisciplinary approach with the involvement of rheumatology allows investigation for underlying systemic disease and improves clinical outcomes for many of these challenging patients.
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J+Vasc+Surg+Venous+Lymphat+Disord 2017 ; 5 (2): 280-92
