Chronic wounds are wounds or ulcers that do not heal normally. The Columbia University Medical Center describes how the severity of chronic wounds is assessed on a scale of 1 to 4. The initial onset of the wound is stage I, and stage IV is the most advanced wound stage. People with stage IV wounds may have to have body parts amputated and are at risk for sepsis, a potentially severe infection in the blood. In addition to severity, chronic wounds are also categorized into one of four main types.
Pressure Ulcers
Pressure ulcers are also called bedsores, pressure sores, decubitus ulcers or decubiti, according to Merck Manuals. Pressure ulcers are a type of chronic wound that is made by the compression of tissue over hard bone. As the name indicates, constant pressure on the tissue and bone can cause pressure ulcers. Friction can also contribute to the formation of a pressure ulcer by promoting breakage of the skin. There are certain risk factors that make the formation of pressure ulcers more likely. These risk factors include, according to Merck Manuals, having impaired circulation, being incontinent, immobilized and/or malnourished; and old age.
Venous Stasis Ulcers
The Columbia University Medical Center describes venous stasis ulcers as wounds that are caused by defective valves that normally maintain pressure in the blood vessels. The result of these defective valves is venous hypertension or high vein blood pressure. The high pressure causes fluid and blood cells to leak out of the veins into the surrounding tissue which causes swelling and ultimately a non-healing ulcer. Venous leg ulcers are susceptible to possibly serious infection.
Diabetic Foot Ulcers
Diabetic foot ulcers are very common among chronic wounds, according to Delnor Hospital in Illinois. These types of ulcers are also called neuropathic ulcers, meaning they involve damage to the nerves. The damage to the nerves in the feet causes them to feel little or no pain. When a person loses feeling in his feet, he can easily injure them without knowing it. Complicating the healing of the wounds is impaired blood circulation that often affects persons with diabetes, which is why these chronic wounds are also called diabetic foot ulcers.
Sickle Cell Ulcers
This type of chronic wound occurs in people with a blood disorder called sickle cell disease, according to the University of Columbia Medical Center. Sickle cell disease causes deformed blood cells which get caught in the blood vessels. The impaired blood circulation and blockages in the vessels caused by deformed blood cells interrupts the body's wound repair system. These ulcers often begin as small crusty protruding wounds on the lower one-third of the leg.
