Coping with LEG ULCERS

These long-lasting venous sores take more than two weeks to heal

- Dr Gill Jenkins

Leisure activities and dementia

A huge review of 38 studies with data on more than two million individuals confirms that people who keep active are less likely to develop dementia. Participation in cognitive, physical and social activities was associated with a 20% reduction in both Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. But it’s unclear if leisure activities protect against dementia, or just that those people destined to avoid it are also the sort who tend to stay active.

Leg ulcers usually develop on the inside of the leg, between the knee and the ankle. Venous leg ulcers are the most common, causing 60% of cases, affecting one in 500 people in the UK, more commonly with age.

They can develop after a minor injury, with persistently high pressure in the leg veins weakening the skin. Symptoms include pain, itching and swelling. There may be discoloured or hardened skin around the ulcer, with a foul-smelling discharge.

See your GP if you think that you have a leg ulcer, as it will need specialist treatment to help healing. Your GP will examine your leg and may carry out additional tests to rule out other conditions.

You’re more at risk of developing one if you previously had deep-vein thrombosis (DVT), or have difficulty walking from arthritis, or have a leg injury, obesity or paralysis, after recent leg surgery or if you have varicose veins.

A WEEKLY DOSE OF INSULIN