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AN OVERVIEW ON ETIOPATHOGENESIS OF DIABETIC FOOT ULCER

Gunda Mounika, Yedulapuram Sriharika, Juvvadi Sharvani Rao, Kadarla Rohith Kumar*

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a complex disease affecting almost all the vital organs in the body. DM is known to have many complications and one of the most distressing is Diabetic Foot Ulcer (DFU). Infections, chronicity, and recurrence are the opportunistic problem of DFU. Approximately 15% of all people with diabetes will be affected by a foot ulcer during their lifetime. The diabetic foot may be defined as a group of syndromes in which neuropathy, ischemia and infection lead to tissue breakdown, resulting in morbidity and possible amputation (World Health Organization, 1995). Impaired metabolic mechanisms in DM increased the risk of infection and poor wound healing. It happens due to series of mechanisms which include decreased cell and growth factor response, diminished peripheral blood flow and decreased local angiogenesis. So, the feet are influenced by damage to peripheral nerves, the peripheral vascular disease, ulcerations, deformities and gangrene. There are several components that cause the emergence of diabetic foot ulcers in diabetic patients, can be divided into two major factors, namely: Causative factor (Peripheral neuropathy, high foot plantar pressure, and trauma) and contributive factors (atherosclerosis, diabetes). The General Symptoms that help in the prediction of the appearance of late phase of the diabetic foot ulcer include- In Legs and arms: Deep pain, most commonly in the feet and legs; Loss of the sense of warm or cold; Muscle cramps; Numbness (if the nerves are severely damaged); Tingling or burning sensation in the extremities, particularly the feet; General Weakness. Thus Diabetic foot is a complication often due to a combination of sensory neuropathy (numbness or insensitivity) and vascular damage. It increases the risks of skin ulcers (diabetic foot ulcers) and infection and, in worse cases, it causes necrosis and gangrene. As a result of this, in this developed world it becomes the underlying cause of non-traumatic adult amputation, usually of toes and or feet. Keywords: Diabetes mellitus, Diabetic Foot Ulcer, Peripheral neuropathy, atherosclerosis.

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