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Book

Diabetic Foot Ulcer (Archived)

Tony I. Oliver  1 , Mesut Mutluoglu  2
In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
.
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Free Books & Documents
Book

Diabetic Foot Ulcer (Archived)

Tony I. Oliver et al.
Free Books & Documents

Excerpt

Diabetic foot ulcers are among the most common complications of patients who have diabetes mellitus which is not well controlled. It is usually the result of poor glycemic control, underlying neuropathy, peripheral vascular disease, or poor foot care. It is also one of the common cause for osteomyelitis of the foot and amputation of lower extremities. These ulcers are usually in the areas of the foot which encounters repetitive trauma and pressure sensations. Staphylococcus is the common infective organism. The disease is typically chronic, and an interprofessional approach will have the best outcome. The combined involvement of podiatrist, endocrinologist, primary care physician, vascular surgeon, and an infectious disease specialist is extremely beneficial. It is a commonly encountered scenario in both outpatient settings and inpatients.

Diabetic foot ulcers are responsible for more admissions than any other diabetic complication. Today, diabetes is the leading cause of non-traumatic amputations in the US. Overall, about 5% of patients with diabetes mellitus develop foot ulcers and 1% end up with an amputation.

Educating the patient about the complication and the need for proper medical care will reduce the risk of complications and good compliance.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Tony Oliver declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Mesut Mutluoglu declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

References

    1. Singer AJ, Tassiopoulos A, Kirsner RS. Evaluation and Management of Lower-Extremity Ulcers. N Engl J Med. 2018 Jan 18;378(3):302-303. - PubMed
    1. Armstrong DG, Boulton AJM, Bus SA. Diabetic Foot Ulcers and Their Recurrence. N Engl J Med. 2017 Jun 15;376(24):2367-2375. - PubMed
    1. Mutluoglu M, Uzun G, Turhan V, Gorenek L, Ay H, Lipsky BA. How reliable are cultures of specimens from superficial swabs compared with those of deep tissue in patients with diabetic foot ulcers? J Diabetes Complications. 2012 May-Jun;26(3):225-9. - PubMed
    1. Malhotra R, Chan CS, Nather A. Osteomyelitis in the diabetic foot. Diabet Foot Ankle. 2014;5 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mutluoglu M, Uzun G, Sildiroglu O, Turhan V, Mutlu H, Yildiz S. Performance of the probe-to-bone test in a population suspected of having osteomyelitis of the foot in diabetes. J Am Podiatr Med Assoc. 2012 Sep-Oct;102(5):369-73. - PubMed

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