- Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) are chronic wounds in the foot or feet associated with neuropathy and/or peripheral artery disease (PAD) of the lower limb in patients with diabetes mellitus.
- Reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that in the United States there are nearly one in four adults living with diabetes, which indicates that a large number of Americans are at risk of DFU.
- DFUs will develop in up to 34% of patients with diabetes at some time in in their lives, and of those, approximately 15%–25% will require an amputation.
- Moderate or severe malnutrition has been identified in over half of patients with DFU, and malnutrition in DFU is correlated with increased lower-extremity amputation.
- Improvements in wound care therapy, including nutrition interventions, can reduce the financial burden of DFUs and increase life expectancy and quality of life.