Why is early treatment of diabetic foot ulcers important?
Diabetes is the most common disease process associated with lower limb amputation, accounting for nearly half of all non-traumatic amputations in North America and Europe. In the United States, 162,500 patients with diabetes are hospitalized for foot ulcers annually. Of the 50,000-60,000 diabetes-related lower-extremity amputations performed every year, 84% are preceded by a foot ulcer.> Equally important, once people with diabetes develop an open wound, they are furthered hampered both by impairments in wound healing and by an increased susceptibility for wound infection.
