What are the common characteristics of diabetic foot

  Diabetic foot is a general term for foot pain, deep skin ulcers and gangrene of the extremities caused by a combination of diabetic factors, which is one of the common chronic complications of diabetes mellitus and seriously affects patients’ quality of life and even endangers their lives.  The epidemiological characteristics of diabetic foot are: ① High prevalence. It is reported that 3% of diabetic patients in the United States have foot ulcers each year, and 40% of foot and lower limb ulcers in adults are caused by diabetes.  ②High hazard. Diabetic patients have a high rate of lower limb amputation, which is 15 to 40 times more dangerous than non-diabetic patients, and causes a heavy economic burden to families and society.  ③The treatment is difficult. Due to a variety of factors leading to the formation of diabetic foot, such as neuropathy, vascular disease and infection, and its insidious onset, often do not attract the attention of patients, so once it occurs, treatment is very difficult, of which 3% to 10% of patients need to perform amputation, one side of the amputation, the other side of the limb in 5 years, there is a 50% chance of amputation.  Although the diabetic foot is dangerous, it is preventable and treatable. Studies have shown that 50% of diabetic foot amputations can be prevented. The combination of Chinese and Western medicine in the treatment of diabetic foot is a unique advantage in China, and the rate of limb amputation is much lower than abroad. Our study proves that multidisciplinary integrated care and TCM interventions for diabetic patients can reduce the amputation rate by 66% and shorten the hospitalization time of diabetic foot patients by 50%.