Influence of Nutrition Status and Compression Therapy on Venous Ulcer Healing: A Systematic Review

Advances in Skin & Wound Care

Clinical Summary

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What was studied

A systematized bibliographic review (2015–2020; PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane) evaluated whether compression therapies and nutrition status affect venous leg ulcer healing, selecting 11 studies from 114 records.

Key findings

Of 11 studies, 4 assessed nutrition (patients tended to have high BMI, deficits in vitamins A/D or zinc, and excess lipids/carbohydrates) and 7 compared compression types (two- and four-layer were most used); several studies favored two-layer systems for healing, but evidence was insufficient to recommend one approach over another, and smaller, newer ulcers had better prognosis.

Study limitations

Nutrition parameters assessed were narrow; comparisons of compression systems were not conducted under matched conditions; the review included only 11 studies without pooled effect sizes.

Clinical implications

Continue using compression therapy while recognizing no clear superiority among systems; consider assessing nutrition (BMI and micronutrient deficits such as vitamins A/D and zinc) and note that smaller, recent-onset ulcers have better healing prospects, though stronger trials are needed.