Epidemiology of chronic wounds in Germany: Analysis of statutory health insurance data

Abstract

Epidemiologic analyses in routine care of chronic wounds are scarce, and published studies show wide variations. This study analyzes the population-based prevalence and incidence of chronic wounds in Germany. Secondary analyses of data from a German statutory health insurance with about 9 million insured persons were examined (2010 to 2012). Internal diagnostic validations were used to control for different inclusion criteria. In 2012, 1.04% (95% CI 1.03-1.05) of insured patients had a wound diagnosis, including 0.70% with leg ulcers and 0.27% with diabetic ulcers. Wound treatment was received by 0.43% (0.43-0.44) of patients. Prevalence and incidence increased over 3 years. Extrapolated to the German population, there were 786,407 prevalent and 196,602 incident chronic wounds, including 326,334/172,026 patients who underwent wound-relevant treatment in 2012. There is an annually increasing frequency of chronic wounds in Germany. Chronic wound epidemiology is sensitive to wound treatment as a filter criterion.

Prevalência E Caracterização De Feridas Crônicas Em Idosos Assistidos Na Atenção Básica

“…Em estudo realizado em 2012, na Alemanha, as úlceras de perna foram os ferimentos mais frequentes, correspondendo a 64% de todas as feridas identificadas, seguidas por lesões por pressão (41%) e úlceras diabéticas (17%) (24) . No…”

Pathogenesis of wound healing disorders in the elderly

“…Here, leg ulcers constituted the most prevalent condition, with 64 % of all documented wounds, followed by pressure ulcers (41 %) and diabetic foot ulcers (17 %). In a three-year period, the incidence of wounds with a corresponding prescription increased twofold, from 0.13 % (95 % CI, 0.13-0.13 %) in 2010 to 0.26 % (95 % CI, 0.26-0.27 %) in 2012 [ 7 ] .…”

Fuzzy spectral clustering for automated delineation of chronic wound region using digital images

“…The prevalence rate in United Kingdom is 5.9% and related treatment cost is nearly £2.3bn-£3.1bn per year [4]. The incidence rate of CWs in Germany in year 2009 was nearly 5.9% [5]. The prevalence rate across the world is almost similar to the Germany and United Kingdom and in India, it is nearly 4.5% [6].…”