Stasis dermatitis
Eczema from chronic venous hypertension; CEAP staging, the cellulitis and contact allergy traps, ABPI before compression, topical treatment without sensitisers, and when superficial venous ablation helps.
Tier 1Condition
Written with AI assistance and fact-checked against the sources below. For exam study, not clinical decisions. How notes are made
At a glance
- Eczema of the lower legs caused by chronic venous hypertension. Common after 50, and much commoner with varicose veins, previous DVT, obesity and immobility.
- It sits on a spectrum with lipodermatosclerosis, atrophie blanche and venous ulceration. Without compression it tends to progress, and recurrent ulceration is the main cost of the disease.
- The two big traps: calling it bilateral cellulitis, and making it worse with sensitising topicals.
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Sources
- Therapeutic Guidelines: Dermatology (venous eczema and leg ulcers)AU/NZTherapeutic Guidelines Limited (eTG complete), Version 5, 2022 (no newer edition found, November 2026)
- Australian and New Zealand clinical practice guideline for prevention and management of venous leg ulcersAU/NZAustralian Wound Management Association and New Zealand Wound Care Society, 2011 (no newer ANZ edition found, November 2026)
- De Maeseneer MG et al. European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS) 2022 clinical practice guidelines on the management of chronic venous disease of the lower limbs. Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg 2022;63:184-267European Society for Vascular Surgery, 2022 (current; no later ESVS update found, November 2026)
- Lurie F et al. The 2020 update of the CEAP classification system and reporting standards. J Vasc Surg Venous Lymphat Disord 2020;8:342-52American Venous Forum, 2020
- Gohel MS et al. A randomized trial of early endovenous ablation in venous ulceration (EVRA). N Engl J Med 2018;378:2105-14New England Journal of Medicine, 2018
- Barwell JR et al. Comparison of surgery and compression with compression alone in chronic venous ulceration (ESCHAR study). Lancet 2004;363:1854-9The Lancet, 2004
- Yosipovitch G et al. Stasis dermatitis: the burden of disease, diagnosis, and treatment. Dermatitis 2024;35:337-44Dermatitis, 2024
- Last updated
- 14 November 2026
What changed
- 14 November 2026 Personal emails, About story and Australian-style copy