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Microcirculation of the Diabetic Foot

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Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease

Part of the book series: Contemporary Cardiology ((CONCARD))

Abstract

The microcirculation in diabetic feet is subject to the same changes found in other end organs of diabetic patients, such as the retina or the kidneys. Complications, such as foot ulceration, lead to further morbidity and hospitalizations. Research looking into the causes of microcirculatory dysfunction has revealed an interplay of numerous factors. The most prominent findings are impaired endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilation and reduced or absent nerve axon reflex-related vasodilation. This renders the diabetic foot unable to mount a vasodilatory response under conditions of stress, such as injury, and makes it functionally ischemic even in the presence of satisfactory blood flow under normal conditions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Rongxiang Xu, MD, Center for Regenerative Therapeutics and the Joslin-Beth Israel Deaconess Foot Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Ying Zhang, Ikram Mezghani & Aristidis Veves

  2. Department of Endocrinology, The Third People’s Hospital of Shenzhen, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China

    Ying Zhang

  3. Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA

    Ikram Mezghani

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  1. Ying Zhang
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  2. Ikram Mezghani
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  3. Aristidis Veves
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Correspondence to Aristidis Veves .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Steward St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Tufts University Medical School, Brighton, MA, USA

    Michael Johnstone

  2. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center / Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Aristidis Veves

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Zhang, Y., Mezghani, I., Veves, A. (2023). Microcirculation of the Diabetic Foot. In: Johnstone, M., Veves, A. (eds) Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease. Contemporary Cardiology. Humana, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13177-6_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13177-6_16

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