Is chronic diabetic foot ulcer an indicator of cardiac disease?

Summary, in English

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate presence and severity of cardiac disease in individuals with chronic diabetic foot ulcers using echocardiography. METHOD: Eighty consecutive patients with chronic foot ulcers attending the multidisciplinary diabetes foot clinic at Helsingborg Hospital underwent clinical examination, toe blood pressure measurement and a standard echocardiographic examination. RESULTS: Sixty-nine percent of the patients had a history of myocardial infarction and/or hypertension and/or heart failure; 78% had signs of left ventricular dysfunction and/or left ventricular hypertrophy and/or diastolic dysfunction; 76% of the patients without a history of cardiovascular disease had signs of cardiac dysfunction on echocardiography. CONCLUSION: Cardiac dysfunction is a common occurrence present in patients with chronic diabetic foot ulcers, even in those without known cardiac disease or hypertension. Echocardiography may be recommended as a screening procedure in the management of diabetic patients with chronic foot ulcers. The present study supports the view that diabetic chronic foot ulcers ought to be seen as a sign of cardiac disease, although further research is needed to elucidate this issue.

• Författare: Magnus Löndahl; Per Katzman; O Fredholm; A Nilsson; Jan Apelqvist
• Avdelning/ar: Medicin/akutsjukvård, Lund; Translationell Muskel Forskning
• Publiceringsår: 2008
• Språk: Engelska
• Sidor: 12-16
• Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie: Journal of Wound Care
• Volym: 17
• Issue: 1
• Länkar: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18210951?dopt=Abstract
• Dokumenttyp: Artikel i tidskrift
• Förlag: Emap Healthcare Limited
• Ämne: Endocrinology and Diabetes; Other Clinical Medicine
• Status: Published
• Forskningsgrupp: Translational Muscle Research
• ISBN/ISSN/Övrigt: ISSN: 0969-0700