Diabetic foot - epidemiological and histopathological aspects

Area of Science:

• Medicine
• Surgery
• Pathology

Background:

• Diabetic foot is a significant complication of diabetes mellitus.
• It affects a substantial number of patients, leading to severe morbidity.
• Understanding the demographics and common pathologies is crucial for effective management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of diabetic foot patients.
• To identify the prevalent types of injuries and surgical interventions required.
• To investigate the underlying inflammatory processes in diabetic foot lesions.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 259 diabetic foot patients admitted to a Romanian hospital in 2016.
• Classification of diabetes types (Type 1 and Type 2).
• Histopathological and immunohistochemical examination of excised tissue samples.

Main Results:

• Type 2 diabetes was more prevalent (78.77%) than Type 1 (21.23%).
• Common injuries included osteitis (27.81%), moist gangrene (21.62%), and abscesses (18.92%).
• Over half of the patients (54.82%) underwent foot segment amputations; chronic inflammation with macrophages, mast cells, and CD4+ T-lymphocytes was observed.

Conclusions:

• Diabetic foot predominantly affects males in rural areas, particularly those aged 61-70 with Type 2 diabetes.
• Surgical intervention, including amputation, is frequently necessary.
• Chronic inflammatory processes involving specific immune cells are characteristic of diabetic foot pathology.