The diabetic foot: a global view

It is estimated that approximately 15% of the more than 150 million people with diabetes world-wide will at some stage develop diabetic foot ulceratio n. Foot problems are indeed a global problem and there is no area in the wo rld that does not report the development of foot lesions as a consequence m ainly of neuropathy and peripheral vascular disease. The prevalence of acti ve foot ulceration varies from approximately 1% in certain European and Nor th American studies to more than 11% in reports from some African countries . Although there have been many developments in recent years which encourag e optimism for future improvement in diabetic foot care, there is still muc h to be done; the recent data from the Netherlands show that with a concert ed team approach, it is possible to increase the numbers of foot clinics wi th the provision of podiatry services by more than 100%. However, many coun tries still lack proper podiatry and specialist nursing provision and there remains much to be done in the next millennium to improve the lot of the d iabetic patient with foot problems. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, L td.