[Diabetic foot syndrome].

Diabetic foot syndrome is a major complication for patients with diabetes mellitus. About 25% of the 6 million patients with diabetes in Germany will suffer from diabetic foot syndrome at some point during the course of disease. Diabetic neuropathy and peripheral vascular disease are the main causative factors in the pathogenesis of diabetic foot ulcers. The mortality rate of these patients is more than twice as high as that of the average population. 25% of costs incurred by patients with diabetes are spent on diabetic foot ulcers, and 50% of hospital days are attributed to the treatment of the diabetic foot syndrome. This syndrome is also the most common cause of non-traumatic amputations. Both the risk of amputation and mortality are much increased in case of peripheral vascular disease. Hence, the aim is to lower the still high number of amputations in Germany by appropriate preventive measures as well as by multidisciplinary diagnostics and therapy.