Diabetic Foot (Print Version)

If you have diabetes, your blood sugar levels are too high. Over time, this can damage your nerves or blood vessels. Nerve damage from diabetes can cause you to lose feeling in your feet. You may not feel a cut, a blister or a sore. Foot injuries such as these can cause ulcers and infections. Serious cases may even lead to amputation. Damage to the blood vessels can also mean that your feet do not get enough blood and oxygen. It is harder for your foot to heal, if you do get a sore or infection.

You can help avoid foot problems. First, control your blood sugar levels. Good foot hygiene is also crucial.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Start Here

Diabetes - Foot Care(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/diabetesfootcare/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/diabetesfootcarespanish/htm/index.htm
Diabetes: Foot Care(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/diabetes/living/352.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/common/diabetes/living/352.printerview.html
Take Care of Your Feet for a Lifetime(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://ndep.nih.gov/campaigns/Feet/Feet_overview.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.ndep.nih.gov/campaigns/Feet/Feet_overview_Hisp.htm

Overviews

Diabetic Complications and Amputation Prevention(American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) - http://www.footphysicians.com/footankleinfo/diabetic-amputations.htm

Treatment

Total Contact Cast: What It Is and Why It's Used(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/diabetes/treatment/173.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/common/diabetes/treatment/173.printerview.html

Prevention/Screening

Diabetes Care: 10 Ways to Avoid Diabetes Complications(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/diabetes-management/DA00008/METHOD=print
Diabetic Foot and Risk: How to Prevent Losing Your Leg(American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society) - http://www.aofas.org/Scripts/4Disapi.dll/4DCGI/cms/review.html?Action=CMS_Document&DocID=40
Prevent Diabetes Problems: Keep Your Feet and Skin Healthy(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/complications_feet/
Also available in Spanish http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/spanish/pubs/complications_feet/index.htm

Specific Conditions

Diabetic Wound Care: What Is a Diabetic Foot Ulcer?(American Podiatric Medical Association) - http://www.apma.org/s_apma/doc.asp?CID=394&DID=9394

Related Issues

Foot Care When Traveling (for People with Diabetes)(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/diabetes_mellitus/hic_foot_care_when_traveling_for_people_with_diabetes.aspx
Also available in Spanish http://my.clevelandclinic.org/es_/disorders/diabetes_mellitus/hic_foot_care_when_traveling_for_people_with_diabetes.aspx
Warning for Regranex - Cream for Leg and Foot Ulcers(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/regranexcream061108.html

Pictures & Photographs

Diabetic Ulcer (Neurogenic Ulcer)(Logical Images) - http://www.visualdxhealth.com/adult/neurogenicUlcerDiabeticUlcer.htm

Tutorials

Diabetes - Foot Care(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/diabetesfootcare/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/diabetesfootcarespanish/htm/index.htm

Videos

Regenerative Tissue Matrix Used to Repair Challenging Diabetic Foot Ulcers(OR-Live) - Requires media player - One hour program - 10/13/2005 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=206
Also available in Spanish http://www.or-live.com/distributors/nlm-spanish/wrm_1461/rnh_sp.cfm

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Diabetic Foot(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Diabetic+Foot%22

Research

Foot Care(American Diabetes Association) - Current medical research reports - http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-research/summaries/footcare.jsp

Journal Articles

References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Article: Diabetic foot ulcer: assessment and management. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18705256&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Diabetic foot infection. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18649613&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Diagnostic accuracy of the physical examination and imaging tests for... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18611152&tool=MedlinePlus
Diabetic Foot -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=diabetic+foot[majr]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+systematic[sb]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+review[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Dictionaries/Glossaries

Diabetes Dictionary(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/dictionary/
Also available in Spanish http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/spanish/pubs/dictionary/index.htm

Directories

Directory of Diabetes Organizations(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/resources/organizations.htm

Organizations

American Diabetes Association - http://www.diabetes.org/
National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/

Statistics

Diabetes: Startling Statistics(American Podiatric Medical Association) - http://www.apma.org/s_apma/doc.asp?CID=394&DID=9392
Also available in Spanish http://www.apma.org/s_apma/doc.asp?CID=374&DID=9241

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

Diabetes - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/diabetes.html
Diabetes Complications - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/diabetescomplications.html
Diabetic Nerve Problems - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/diabeticnerveproblems.html
Foot Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/foothealth.html
Foot Injuries and Disorders - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/footinjuriesanddisorders.html
Blood, Heart and Circulation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bloodheartandcirculation.html
Bones, Joints and Muscles - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bonesjointsandmuscles.html
Brain and Nerves - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/brainandnerves.html
Endocrine System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/endocrinesystem.html

The primary NIH organization for research on Diabetic Foot is the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/

Diabetic Foot - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/diabeticfoot.html