Diabetic Foot eMedicine Orthopedics

Description: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) precede 85% of nontraumatic lower extremity amputations (LEAs). Approximately 3-4% of individuals with diabetes currently have foot ulcers or deep infections. Among persons with diabetes, 15% develop foot ulcers during their lifetime. Their risk of LEA increases by a factor of 8 once an ulcer develops. At 2 years following transtibial amputation, 36% of these patients are known to have died.
Synonyms and related keywords: Charcot foot, diabetic foot ulcer, DFU, DFUs, peripheral neuropathy, ischemic peripheral vascular disease, foot infection, Charcot osteoarthropathy, Charcot arthropathy, hypertrophic osteoarthropathy, lower extremity amputation, LEA, LEAs, foot amputation
Author: Michael S Pinzur, MD 2007