VARICOSE ECZEMA: CURRENT STATE OF THE PROBLEM
The purpose of the review is to analyze the literature concerning varicose eczema, to reveal unsolved issues of diagnosis and current trends in the treatment of this pathology. Varicose eczema, being a frequent dermatological complication of chronic vein diseases, nevertheless remains an insufficiently studied problem. Varicose eczema is not a dangerous disease, but it significantly reduces the patients’ quality of life. The term «varicose eczema», although it has become common, is ambiguous. The problem of varicose eczema is first of all an organizational one: for effective diagnosis and treatment of varicose eczema the cooperation of surgeons and dermatologists is necessary. There is no unified approach to the diagnosis of skin lesions in chronic venous insufficiency. The difficulty lies in the diversity of the skin changes in this pathology. The proposed algorithm and diagnostic criteria can fill this gap. The tactics of treating varicose eczema is mainly developed. Treatment of varicose eczema includes treatment of chronic venous insufficiency (elimination of venous reflux by surgery or sclerotherapy, phlebotonic drugs, elastic compression) and treatment of skin changes (systemic and topical antibacterial remedies, steroid and immunosuppressive therapy). Elastic compression in case of significant exudation is the subject of discussion. If surgical treatment is impossible, the amount of conservative therapy necessary and sufficient to achieve the remission of varicose eczema is unclear. Conclusions. Further study of the advantages of modern endovenous methods over classical phlebectomy in treatment of varicose eczema is required.