NZ study finds drug helps to heal leg ulcers

By ELIZABETH BINNING

Some leg ulcers are so painful, smelly and hard to treat that desperate patients put Marmite, honey and even deodorant onto the wound in the hope it will heal.

But an Auckland study, published in the British medical journal the Lancet, claims to have found a more effective treatment for the debilitating ulcers that affect about 1200 New Zealanders each year.

The study suggests that Trental, a drug from the 1970s, can play a major role in treating venous leg ulcers when combined with the current treatment of compressing the wound with a tight bandage.

Researchers at Auckland Hospital and the University of Auckland found a 30 per cent increase in the chance of patients being healed when they took the drug, which was traditionally used for chronic vascular diseases and circulatory conditions.

They also found that the number of ulcers healed in six months could increase by 16 per cent when Trental was used.

Researcher Andrew Jull said without the drug a third of all sufferers remained unhealed a year after using compression bandages.

While not life-threatening, the ulcers were painful, smelly and could have devastating social effects.

"People with leg ulcers restrict their lives," said Mr Jull. "They avoid many activities that are otherwise taken for granted - swimming and wearing shorts in summer. Some people ... just stay at home."

Mr Jull said Trental's effectiveness had been debated by the medical profession for years because previous studies were too small to be conclusive. The new study involved 547 patients and results from previous studies.

The findings have been included in a clinical practice guide, for GPs and district nurses. But general surgeon Tom Morris, who runs the Auckland Varicose Vein and Leg Ulcer Clinic, remains sceptical about Trental's effectiveness.

"Trental has been around for a long time and it is one of those drugs the manufacturers keep pushing. But all the research I have seen so far [says] that it has no effect."

Mr Morris has treated more than 5000 patients with leg ulcers. He said some had tried the drug but with no success.

Trental is not registered in NZ for the treatment of venous leg ulcers. GPs wanting to prescribe it need consent from the Government's Health Benefits agency and patients must have already tried standard treatment for four months.

nzherald.co.nz/health