Diabetic Foot Syndrome

Abstract

Diabetic foot syndrome is understood to be all pathological changes in the foot of a person with diabetes mellitus. These include pre-ulcerous lesions such as abnormal corneal callouses. Ulcers or necroses usually develop as a result of repetitive trauma with limited sensation of pressure and pain in the context of diabetic polyneuropathy (e. g. in the form of high pressure and shear stress, especially in foot and toe deformities). In Germany, more than 50 % of all cases are characterized by a relevant peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD), whose symptoms (claudication, pain at rest) are often masked by the polyneuropathy.