What is a Diabetic Foot Ulcer?

A diabetic foot ulcer is an open sore or wound that most commonly occurs on the bottom of the foot in approximately 15% of patients with diabetes. Of those who develop a foot ulcer, approximately 6% will be hospitalised due to infection or other ulcer-related complication.

Diabetes is the leading cause of non-traumatic lower extremity amputations in the developed world, and approximately 14 to 24% of patients with diabetes who develop a foot ulcer have an amputation. Research, however, has shown that the development of a foot ulcer may be preventable.

In 1995, it was estimated that there were 135 million individuals worldwide with this disease, a figure that is likely to have risen to 154 million by 2000. By 2025, it is projected there will be 300 million individuals with diabetes across the world. The vast majority of new cases will be type 2 (non–insulin-dependent) diabetes, with a 42% increase of cases in developed countries and a 170% increase in developing countries.

Who Can Get a Diabetic Foot Ulcer?

Anyone who has diabetes can develop a foot ulcer, older men are more likely to develop ulcers. People who use insulin are at a higher risk of developing a foot ulcer, as are patients with diabetes-related kidney, eye, and heart disease. Being overweight and using alcohol and tobacco also play a role in the development of foot ulcers.

How do Diabetic Foot Ulcers Form?

Ulcers form due to a combination of factors, such as lack of feeling in the foot, poor circulation, foot deformities, irritation (such as friction or pressure), and trauma, as well as duration of diabetes. Patients who have diabetes for many years can develop neuropathy, a reduced or complete lack of feeling in the feet due to nerve damage caused by elevated blood glucose levels over time. The nerve damage often can occur without pain and one may not even be aware of the problem.

Your healthcare professional can test feet for neuropathy with a simple and painless tool called a monofilament.

Nylon Monofilament Test. There is a risk of ulcer formation if the patient is unable to feel the monofilament when it is pressed against the foot with just enough pressure to bend the filament. The patient is asked to say "yes" each time he or she feels the filament. Failure to feel the filament at four of 10 sites is 97% sensitive and 83% specific for identifying loss of protective sensation.

Vascular disease can complicate a foot ulcer, reducing the body’s ability to heal and increasing the risk for an infection. Elevations in blood glucose can reduce the body’s ability to fight off a potential infection and also retard healing.

NOTE: Microcyn does not have U.S. FDA clearance for claims other than to moisten, lubricate, cleanse and debride wounds.