Abstract
Aim: Patients with venous eczema may suffer considerably from redness, crusts, pain, flaking and itching. In general, as treatment, compression therapy and indifferent ointments/cremes are used, often together with topical steroids, though the latter may exhibit considerable side effects. This study aims to explore the effect of Medical Moisture Retention Cream (MMRC = ALHYDRAN®) on the symptoms and complaints of patients suffering a venous eczema, often next to an existing VLU. The working mechanism of MMRC involves a combination of the moisturizing effect of Aloe Vera gel and the moderate occlusion effect of added fatty acids. Method: In an open case series, 18 patients attending an outpatient wound clinic with moderate venous eczema (maximum TIS score<3) participated. MMRC was applied twice a day and its use was clinically assessed for 4 consecutive weeks. Next to the registration of patient characteristics and capturing the clinical details of the skin lesions in weekly pictures, a VAS scale to assess the patients’ and caregivers’ experience with the treatment was used. Results: During the application of MMRC, the signs and symptoms of a dry, itchy, scaly, crusty and erythematous skin, fainted in all patients. The skin condition of most participating patients improved and there was also a visibly better skin hydration status in all patients. Relevant aspects such as ‘night rest’, ‘mood’ and ‘social participation’ improved, except for 2 patients. The clinical skin condition of one of these deteriorated in a week, which was not related to the use of MMRC. No side effects to the use of MMRC were observed. The wound care experienced nurses assessed MMRC as effective and feasible. Conclusion: This study shows that MMRC is effective, safe, and feasible in the treatment of venous eczema. Future Randomized Controlled Trials are necessary to compare the efficacy and feasibility of MMRC with the application of other hydrating creams/ointments and topical steroids.
Highlights
A venous leg ulcer (VLU) is due to sustained venous hypertension, which results from chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) [1,2,3]
The clinical skin condition of one of these deteriorated in a week, which was not related to the use of Medical Moisture Retention Cream (MMRC)
This study shows that MMRC is effective, safe, and feasible in the treatment of venous eczema
Summary
A venous leg ulcer (VLU) is due to sustained venous hypertension, which results from chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) [1,2,3]. Venous hypertension is usually caused by a combination of factors of which venous disease, obesity, and immobility are the most important. The prevalence of community dwelling VLUs is between 0.18% and 1% [6,7]. Over the age of 65, the prevalence increases to 4% [8]. Due to the aging population, within the forty years there is an expected grow of people suffering from immobility and obesity, and this may lead to an additional increase of the incidence of venous hypertension and venous leg ulceration as well [9]
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