Diabetic Neuropathy & Diabetic Ulcers
Diabetes Mellitus refers to a family of diseases featuring high glucose levels caused by the body’s inability to produce and/or utilize insulin. According to the US National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, in a statistics fact sheet prepared by the National Diabetes Education Program titled "Snapshot of Diabetes - The facts About Diabetes: Americans Sixth Leading Cause of Death” the 2005 estimate of prevalence or total number of cases of diabetes in adults is 20.8 million, with 14.6 million diagnosed cases and an additional 6.2 million undiagnosed cases. According to the same source, the 2005 incidence, or number of new cases, is 1.5 million.
One of the most severe complications of diabetes is lower-limb amputation, which is caused by diabetic ulcers. These ulcers form as a result of Diabetic Neuropathy, or Peripheral Diabetic Neuropathy (PDN), a nervous system disease evident in 60% of diabetic patients. According to the National Diabetes Education Program, Diabetic Neuropathy causes micro-vascular damage that can result in loss of protective sensation in the feet, poor circulation and diabetic foot ulcers.
