In the United States, chronic wounds affect around 6.5 million patients per year. It is claimed that an excess of US$25 billion is spent annually on treatment of chronic wounds. Chronic wounds are rarely seen in individuals who are otherwise healthy. In fact, chronic wound patients frequently suffer from “highly branded” diseases such as diabetes and obesity.

According to the National Institute of Research (NIH), chronic wounds are mostly seen in the elderly population. Current research suggests up to In the United States, 3% of the population >65 years of age have open wounds. By 2020, the US government estimates that the elderly population will be over 55 million, suggesting that chronic wounds will continue to be an increasingly persistent problem in senior population. Overall, in the United States 2% of the total population are estimated to be affected by chronic wounds. The impact of chronic wounds is also financial, with NIH research suggests wounds cost society up to 5.5% of total expenditures by the British National Health Service (NHS).⁹

The need for chronic wound care is sharply on the rise.