Compression in young people living with lymphoedema

摘要

Childhood lymphoedema is a complex condition that can present in many ways and may lead to significant physical and psychosocial complications. The initial diagnostic journey often encounters misdiagnoses, referral to numerous inappropriate services, and delays in a referral to lymphoedema specialists. And there is often poor understanding and communication among teachers, leading to negative encounters at school. All of this can leave children and their parents frustrated and confused. Dale (1985) examined the incidence of primary lymphoedema and estimated a frequency of 1 in 6000, with a sex ratio of approximately one male to three females. Childhood lymphoedema, however, is very rare. Smeltzer and colleagues (1985) calculated the annual incidence rate in children and young people under 20 years of age to be 1.15/100000 population, but this is likely to be an underestimate.