ArticleWound repair and regeneration : official publication of the Wound Healing Society [and] the European Tissue Repair Society
Impact of malodour on health-related quality of life of patients with chronic wounds due to volatile organic compounds.
Article in Wound repair and regeneration : official publication of the Wound Healing Society [and] the European Tissue Repair Society. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Microbial volatile organic compounds and olfactory receptors in wound malodor.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Pooled it
- Differences in Rheological Properties between Brand and Generic Metronidazole Gels and Their Potential Impact on Malodor Management in Cancer Survivors.JMA journal · 2026Article
- Evaluation of polyethyleneimine-functionalized cellulose for the capture of valeric acid, a model wound malodor compound.Cellulose (London, England) · 2026Article
- Delay in seeking medical care among breast cancer patients with malignant fungating wounds and their caregivers: a qualitative dyadic study.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Impact of malodour on health-related quality of life of patients with chronic wounds due to volatile organic compounds.Wound repair and regeneration : official publication of the Wound Healing Society [and] the European Tissue Repair SocietyArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Chronic wounds significantly impact health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Unpleasant wound odour, caused by bacterial colonisation and necrotic processes, is a distressing symptom. Its exact composition is not well understood, but it could be the basis for a personalised odour avoidance strategy. Therefore, this feasibility study explored 92 wounds from 66 patients with the focus on wound odour, bacterial burden and their impact on health related-quality of life (HRQoL). Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) responsible for wound odours were detected at the molecular level, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and -ion mobility spectrometry and correlated to the HRQoL. In patients analysed (average age 69 ± 13 years, wound persistence 24.31 ± 70.8 months) 135 pathogens were identified by swabbing including 19% Staphylococcus aureus, 15% Pseudomonas aeruginosa and 35% Enterobacteria. The specific questionnaire 'Wound-QoL-14' showed a non-significant difference in HRQoL in patients with wound odour (2.1 ± 1.0 vs. 1.8 ± 1.0). The latter also had the highest number of VOC detections. The most frequently detected, relevant VOCs from prokaryotic sources were dimethyl-disulphide and diacetyl-(2,3-butanedione). Furthermore, potential biomarkers for specific pathogens were identified, including dimethyl-trisulphide for P. aeruginosa and indole for Escherichia coli. The most prevalent substance groups were ketones and alcohols. In conclusion, the malodour of chronic wounds is caused by a mixture of the intrinsic odour of bacterial products and necrosis. This exploratory study, which combines the analysis of decoded VOCs and the olfactory assessment of odour, could be a novel, targeted approach for identifying potential 'anti-wound odour therapies' that will significantly benefit the HRQoL of patients with malodourous tumour wounds, in particular.
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