Health-related quality of life in patients with venous leg ulcer treated in primary care in Brazil and Portugal

BACKGROUND: Venous ulcers constitute an important public health problem as they can cause disability with consequences for multiple dimensions of quality of life. OBJECTIVE: To describe the quality of life in patients with venous leg ulcer treated in primary care in two cities from Brazil and Portugal. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional comparative study with a non-probabilistic sample of 171 patients with venous leg ulcers who were treated in primary care in two cities from Brazil and Portugal, namely, Natal and Évora. A form covering sociodemographic and health data and the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey were used, and descriptive and inferential analyses were performed. RESULTS: Significant differences in age and income were observed between the two samples. Patients with venous leg ulcer from Brazil had lower income and were younger than those from Portugal. Quality of life scores were significantly higher in Portugal for the physical aspects, pain, and social functioning, among domains, and for the physical health dimension and total score of QOL. CONCLUSION: The quality of life was better in Portugal than in Brazil and the differences between the countries need further investigation.