Heating and Compression Bandage Treatment Is Effective for Chronic Lymphedema with Dermatolymphangioadenitis-A Case-Controlled Study.

BACKGROUND To investigate the therapeutic effect of far infrared rays and compression bandaging in the treatment of chronic lymphedema with dermatolymphangioadenitis (DLA). METHODS Between 2005 and 2013, 106 patients with chronic lymphedema with DLA treated at the Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. These patients were divided into an infrared and a bandaging group (80 patients, group 1) and bandaging only group (26 patients, group 2). Outcome measures include DLA frequency, patients' subjective feedback with regards to their symptoms, and the relationship between continuous elastic compression bandaging and relapse of DLA. RESULTS The frequency of DLA in group 1 and group 2 were significantly reduced after treatment (p = 0.000 and 0.004, respectively). Seventy five percent (60) of patients in group 1 and 19% (5) of patients in group 2 suffered no further episodes of DLA during the follow-up period. In group 1, over 90% of patients reported a subjective improvement in their symptoms and the relapse rate was shown to be lower using elastic compression bandaging when higher pressures were applied. CONCLUSION Heating with compression bandaging can be an effective treatment strategy to reduce DLA and improve the quality of life for those patients with chronic lymphedema associated with DLA.