The Burden of Diabetic Foot Disorders on the Patient and the Methods of Treatment

Foot infections are a common and serious problem in persons with diabetes. Diabetic foot infections (DFIs) typically begin in a wound, most often a neuropathic ulceration. Diabetes Mellitus is known to have many complications and one of the most distressing is diabetic foot ulcer which affects 15% of people with diabetes. It puts enormous financial burden on the patient and the health care services, even though it is preventable. Diabetic foot ulcer is characterized by a classical triad of neuropathy, ischemia, and infection. Most DFIs are polymicrobial, with aerobic gram-positive cocci (GPC), and especially staphylococci, the most common causative organisms. Empiric antibiotic therapy can be narrowly targeted at GPC in many acutely infected patients, but those at risk for infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms or with chronic, previously treated, or severe infections usually require broader spectrum regimens.