Patient Race and Ethnicity Do Not Predict Ulceration Among Ambulatory Patients With Venous Insufficiency.

Abstract

Venous ulcers are among the most common chronic wounds, considerably impacting quality of life and causing substantial economic burden. This study aimed to determine if race and ethnicity are predictors for ulceration among ambulatory patients with venous insufficiency. Physician-reported data were extracted from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) collected between 2014 and 2019. An estimated 42.7 (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 39.9-45.5) million outpatient visits with a diagnosis of venous insufficiency, unspecified chronic wound, or varicose veins were included in the analysis. Patient race and ethnicity were not associated with differences in the likelihood of ulceration. However, venous ulceration was associated with the male sex (Adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) 2.5; 95% CI 1.2-5.2, p = 0.02) and was more likely among visits with surgical specialties (aOR 5.2; 95% CI 2.1-13.4, p = 0.0005). While prior studies report greater chronic wound treatment rates among non-White racial minority patients, these findings do not demonstrate differences in ambulatory care for venous ulceration within nationally representative data.