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Health practitioners are being asked to help raise awareness of Australia鈥檚 鈥榟idden affliction鈥� of chronic wounds during Wound Awareness Week from 15 to 21 July 2018.

Although chronic wounds can be healed, they often go untreated because Australians are 鈥榖lind to wounds鈥�. Many people don鈥檛 recognise that when they have a non-healing wound they should immediately seek medical support to treat it.

Chronic wounds cost聽Australia鈥檚 health system $3 billion annually. The number of sufferers is expected to soar聽due to Australia鈥檚 ageing population because people aged 65+ are most at risk.

CEO Anne Buck said that chronic wounds聽must be recognised as a serious health issue to safeguard our ageing population.

鈥淒octors need to educate at-risk patients, to support and empower them, and help raise awareness of chronic wounds,鈥� she said. 鈥淧eople who don鈥檛 realise they have a chronic wound can suffer without treatment for years.鈥�

David Templeman lived unknowingly with a chronic wound for most of his life, after injuring his leg playing football in 1970.

While Templeman聽assumed it was a minor injury, his leg continued to bother him. But it wasn't until February 2017 when he sought treatment after a major flare-up in the same spot that he discovered he鈥檇 been living with a venous leg ulcer 鈥� which can be treated and healed.

鈥淚 wish I knew to ask the question 鈥榠s this a chronic wound?鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淢y one piece of advice is that you shouldn鈥檛 suffer in silence 鈥� if a wound doesn鈥檛 show signs of healing within 4 weeks, you need to treat it seriously and seek appropriate medical assistance.鈥�

As part of Wound Awareness Week, is urging doctors to 鈥楾alk About Wounds鈥�: encouraging conversations with their patients about wounds that won鈥檛 heal so they understand the wound warning signs, who鈥檚 at risk and what action to take if they have a chronic wound.

For more information on Wound Awareness Week and chronic wounds, visit the website.

Image credit: 漏stock.adobe.com/au/WavebreakmediaMicro