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Pharmacotherapy of Diabetes: New Developments pp 229–235Cite as

Diabetic Foot Ulcers

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The Wagner system describes the diabetic foot ulcer as a full thickness wound extending to tendons or deeper subcutaneous tissue but without bony involvement or osteomyelitis [1]. The university of Texas system refers to levels of ischemia [2] and infection while the SAD system [3] attends to size, area, depth, arteriopathy and any neuropathic involvement. The breadth of classification system in use reflects the complexity and range of signs/symptoms associated with diabetic foot ulceration, with a lower limb lost to amputation every 30 seconds [4]. Recent research has estimated that more than 50% of diabetic foot ulcers will recur within 3 years suggesting that the professionals involved in treatment are fighting a difficult battle especially when it is considered that the lifetime risk for developing such an ulcer is calculated to be in the region of 15–25% [5].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universities of Manchester, Miami, FL, USA

    Andrew J. M. Boulton & Frank Bowling

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  1. Andrew J. M. Boulton
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  2. Frank Bowling
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  1. Aarhus University Hospital, Nørrebrogade 44, DK-8000, Aarhus, Denmark

    Carl Erik Mogensen MD

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Boulton, A.J.M., Bowling, F. (2007). Diabetic Foot Ulcers. In: Mogensen, C.E. (eds) Pharmacotherapy of Diabetes: New Developments. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-69737-6_21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-69737-6_21

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-69736-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-69737-6

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