title: Diabetic foot ulcers: etiology, treatment, and prevention.
abstract: The role of neuropathy, structural changes, and ischemia in the development of foot ulcerations in diabetic patients is well established. As a result, it is now possible to determine which patients are at risk for ulceration and to place them in education programs or clinics with multidisciplinary care. In such situations, a high rate of ulcer healing and a decrease in amputation can be achieved. However, the roles of specific therapeutic interventions, particularly local wound healing agents and antibiotics, are not yet understood. Well-characterized patients need to be studied in comparative antibiotic trials for infection and in double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of wound-healing agents. Until such trials are completed, dogmatic advocacy or condemnation of a given therapy should be avoided.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grunfeld
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001458:Bandages; D003646:Debridement; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D016523:Foot Ulcer / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D012775:Shoes; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents