Diabetes and wound-related complications around the globe results in one major limb amputation every 30 seconds, over 2500 limbs lost per day. Foot problems in patients with diabetes mellitus are a major public health concern in the United States. In 2007 the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention estimated that nearly 24 million people in the US have diabetes [1]. Foot ulcers develop in about 15% of patients with diabetes, and foot disorders are a leading cause of hospitalization for patients with diabetes [2–4]. The lifetime risk of a person with diabetes developing a foot ulcer is as high as 25% [5]. Up to 70% of all leg amputations in the United States are performed on people with diabetes and approximately 85% of lower limb amputations in patients with diabetes are preceded by foot amputation [6].
The underlying patholphysiology of...
