diagnostic value of C-reactive protein and identification of the most common pathogens in mildly infected diabetic foot ulcers

The diabetic foot may be defined as a group of syndromes in which neuropathy, ischaemia and infection lead to tissue breakdown, resulting in morbidity and possible amputation.The major adverse outcomes of foot complications are foot ulcers and amputations. It is estimated that 15% of diabetics develop a foot ulcer within their lifetime and that up to 70% of all non-traumatic amputations in the world occur in diabetics. Many of these amputations are preventable as 85% are preceded by a foot ulcer.Foot infections in diabetic individuals are usually of multifaceted origin with neuropathy, peripheral vascular disease, and decreased resistance to infection being implicated in the pathogenesis.The concentration of CRP in the serum represents a very useful non specific inflammatory biomarker which plays an important role in screening for organic diseases, monitoring of a therapy and therefore the response to treatment and the detection of recurrent infection in immune deficient patients.