Vitale Mario, Zeppa Pio, Esposito Isabella, Esposito Silvano
UOC Endocrinologia, Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia, Universita di Salerno, Italy.
Infez Med. 2012;20 Suppl 1:14-9.
The diabetic foot lesions are the result of a complex set of factors including peripheral neuropathy, trauma, joint deformities and perfusion abnormalities. The foot becomes vulnerable and insensitive to minor injuries caused by excessive pressure, mechanically or minimum thermal insults that can determine the primum movens of a foot ulcer. Due to the trauma, the subcutaneous tissues are exposed to bacterial colonization. Therefore, the wound can develop an infection. So, the first step in the treatment of the lesion is the evaluation of tissue damage, in order to guide therapy and prognosis. Wagner's classification, used by over 25 years, is still one of the best known systems of lesion classification; however, it is giving way to the most recent Texas's classification. However, in both systems infection have a minority role. Therefore, the Infectious Diseases Society of America has developed a classification system that divides infections in mild, moderate and severe. The purpose of this classification is to recognize the severe patients because they require immediate hospitalization, parenteral antibiotic therapy and specific instrumental examinations.
