European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

CONCEPT OF QARHA (ULCER) IN ALLOPATHY & UNANI SYSTEM OF MEDICINE - A REVIEW ARTICLE

Swaleha Khan*, Seemab Alam, Mohammad Danish, Mohammad Usama, Dr. Mahboob Alam Khan, Mohd. Razi Ansari

ABSTRACT

Non‐healing ulcers are becoming a major public health problem. The high prevalence of ulcer directly affects patients' quality of life because it produces psychological (anxiety, depression), social and physical (amputation) handicap. Most ulcers become unsightly and they hardly if ever, yield to conventional treatment. Healing of an amputated part may pose a problem, hence amputation cannot be recommended without extensive pre‐operative investigations. Prevalence is high among the poor, for whom expenses of surgery are not affordable. Few surgeons try skin graft but unfavourable local condition of the ulcer leads to rejection and all efforts prove futile. Keeping all these factors in mind, we have tested a Unani formulation for its ulcer healing properties; early results were surprising and in some cases unbelievable. The pathogenesis of ulcers is complex, and different factors play major roles in different stages. The refractory nature of ulcer is reflected in that even after healing there is still a high recurrence rate and amputation rate, which means that management and nursing plans need to be considered carefully. Focusing on the relationship between the risk factors and DFU progression may facilitate prevention and timely management; in the last part, we emphasize the importance of preventive education, characterize several of the most frequently used management approaches, including glycemic control, exercise, offloading, and infection control, and call for taking into account and weighing the quality of life during the formulation of treatment plans.

Keywords: Ulcer, Unani or Herbal Drugs, Diagnosis and treatment, Prevention and management.