Endocrine Abstracts

Diabetic foot is a main complication of Diabetes Mellitus that affects 15–25% of diabetes patients at least once in their lifetime. This complication has severe consequences at patient’s life quality and a high cost not only for the patient but also for the society. However, this complication is still underestimated in Albania.

Aim of study: Our main objective is to summarize the causes and pathogenic mechanisms leading to diabetic foot, and to focus on the management of this important health issue.

Materials and method: This is a prospective study with homogenous cohort. All DF patients presented at our clinic from April 2016 to December 2018.The patients were evaluated for the risk factors like neuropathy, peripheral arterial disease and also the different elements of diabetic foot management. There were studied 131 patients. The data was analysed according to IBM SPSS Statistics 23.

Results: Out of 131 patients enrolled (124 of them had Diabetes mellitus tip II, 7 had Diabetes mellitus tip I), aged from 41 to 91 with a mean age of 63.5. Mean diabetes duration was 12.3 years. 85% of the wounds were infected. We isolated a total of 32 strains. Among them 10 were the most alert pathogens identified (Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus spp, Proteus vulgaris, Proteus mirabilis, Streptococcus b-haemoliticus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinobacter baumanii). The most sensitive antibiotic was Ceftriaxone and the most resistant was Ciprofloxacin. According the local surgical treatment minor amputations were present in 69 patients, debridement in 47 patients. Negative pressure wound therapy was used in 23 patients.

Conclusion: A multidisciplinary approach should be employed because of the multifaceted nature of foot ulcers and the numerous comorbidities that can occur in these patients.