Classification, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Diabetic Foot Ulcers

  • Thu, 9/4/08 - 11:52am
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Author(s): 
John Doupis, MD, PhD1 and Aristidis Veves, MD, DSc2

The diabetic foot is considered one of the most significant complications of diabetes, representing a major worldwide medical, social, and economic problem that greatly affects patient quality of life. The risk for a patient with diabetes to develop a foot ulcer is close to 25%1 leading frequently to disablement and leg amputation.2,3 It has been estimated that every 30 seconds a lower limb is amputated somewhere in the world because of diabetes.4

The link between the diabetic foot ulcers and leg amputations is indisputable, as diabetes is the cause of almost 50% of all nontraumatic lower extremity amputations worldwide.5 Diabetic neuropathy and peripheral vascular disease are the main etiologic factors for the diabetic foot ulceration. Other factors that may act in combination to the above are: the unrecognized trauma, the biomechanical abnormalities, the limited joint mobility, and the increased susceptibility to infection.6

Early diagnosis and efficient treatment of the diabetic foot ulceration is essential in order to avoid limb amputation and preserve the life quality for the patient with diabetes. Accordingly, a specific treatment plan should be designed according to the size, depth, location of the ulcer, and presence/absence of infection or ischemia.6

References: 

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  kennedyjpsays:
  June 30.2010 at 11:27 am
  
We are getting excellent results using DNA based techniques to diagnose and treat these wounds. I did not see this diagnostic tool listed above. I believe this will become the standard as wound care progresses into more advanced techniques. The advantages over traditional techniques are proving to be quite significant. We are using www.PathoGenius.com.

  

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