title: The diabetic foot in end stage renal disease.
abstract: Diabetic foot lesions remain a major cause of morbidity in patients with renal failure, especially those on dialysis. Foot complications are encountered at a more than twofold frequency in diabetic patients with end-stage renal disease, and the rate of amputations is 6.5-10 times higher in comparison to the general diabetic population. The causal pathways of the diabetic foot in renal failure are multiple and inter-related. Three major pathologies--neuropathy, ischemia, and infection--are the main contributory factors. Increased awareness of this condition and careful clinical examination are indispensable to avoid serious complications. Appropriate management needs to address all contributory factors. Treatment options include revascularization, off-loading to relieve high-pressure areas, and aggressive control of infection. Equally important is the collaboration between health care providers in a multidisciplinary foot care setting. Moreover, patient education on the measures required to achieve both primary and secondary prevention is of great value. Certainly, technical innovations have made considerable progress possible, but there is a need for further improvement to reduce the number of amputations.
authors.affiliation: Outpatient Clinic of Obesity, Diabetes and Metabolism, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Papanas
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Liakopoulos
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Maltezos
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Stefanidis
mesh_terms: D017719:Diabetic Foot / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000150:complications*; D018570:Risk Assessment