Abstract
Background: Diabetic foot ulcer is a common disorder involving diabetic patients. Appling new indicators of the severity of diabetic foot infection may help the practitioners to develop more efficient diagnosis and treatment strategies.
Methods: In this study, 70 diabetic patients with a foot ulcer, admitted to the infectious diseases ward of Tabriz education and treatment center between 2015 and 2016, were enrolled. The severity of infection was determined according to the Infectious Diseases Society of America clinical practice guideline. Twenty of these patients were excluded and further examinations were performed on 50 patients. On the first day of hospitalization and before antibiotic therapy, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), Procalcitonin (PCT), White blood cells (WBCs), Fasting blood sugar (FBS) and HbA1C were measured. The level of these factors was then compared across four severity groups.
Results: Pulse rate, respiratory rate, body temperature and leukocyte count were significantly higher in the patients with severe infection. ESR and CRP were higher in patients with more severe infection, but PCT and HbA1C level were not in accordance with the infection’s severity.
Conclusion: In conclusion, ESR and CRP level can be more successfully used to discriminate patients, according to the severity of the infection.
Keywords: Diabetic foot ulcer, biomarker, procalcitonin, infection, CRP, HbA1C.
Graphical Abstract
17