Edited by: Mr Peter Lazzarini, Prof Hylton Menz
Diabetes results in significant morbidity and mortality, and is at epidemic levels worldwide. Foot disease (usually foot ulceration) is a leading cause of diabetes hospitalisation and amputation. Alarmingly, 1.5 million people worldwide experience a lower limb amputation (one every 20 seconds) and over 4 million suffer with foot ulcers due to diabetes each year. A significant body of existing international research demonstrates effective clinical management of diabetes foot disease can prevent up to 90% of hospitalisations and amputations.
In support of the Australasian Podiatry Council’s Foot Health Month campaign Sock it to Diabetes in October 2012, we have selected some of the best diabetic foot research papers recently published in the Journal of Foot and Ankle Research to create this special article collection. We hope that this collection will contribute to the existing international research momentum to find treatments and cures for the great global challenge of diabetes foot disease.