Intervention effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on grade I-II ulcers in diabetic foot patients: A meta-analysis

This study aims to systematically evaluate the effect of low-level laser therapy on grade I-II diabetic foot ulcers. We conducted a systematic search of the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, EBSCO, Cochrane, ClinicalKey, Ovid Medline, Sinomed, CNKI, and WANFANG databases for studies assessing the efficacy of low-level laser therapy for diabetic foot ulcers, with a cutoff date of 15 September 2024. Two researchers independently selected relevant studies and extracted data, utilising RevMan 5.4 software to perform a meta-analysis. A total of 11 studies involving 657 participants with grade I-II diabetic foot ulcers were included. In patients with grade I-II diabetic foot ulcers, low-level laser therapy significantly increased the complete healing rate (RR = 4.97, 95% CI: 2.65-9.32, p < 0.00001), the wound shrinkage area (MD = 7.76, 95% CI: 6.51-9.0, p <0.00001), and the wound bacterial clearance rate (RR = 3.72, 95% CI: 2.16-6.39, p <0.00001) compared to the control group, while also reducing the infection rate (RR = 0.11, 95% CI: 0.01-0.8, p <0.03). Low-level laser therapy is an effective adjuvant therapy that accelerates wound healing in patients with grade I-II diabetic foot ulcers. However, further research is necessary to validate its effects on wound area reduction rate and healing time.