The Diabetic Foot 1988

The main emphasis of the recent second national meeting on the Diabetic Foot was on improving methods for the identification and education of those diabetic patients who are at risk of ulceration. For those with vascular or neuropathic ulcers, limb salvage should be achievable in the majority so that the need for amputation in diabetic patients should fall in future years. The level of interest shown in this year’s meeting was remarkable considering that the subject of the diabetic foot has undoubtedly been neglected in the past. The chronicity of the problem, together with the fact that the foot is not the best loved piece of human anatomy, have contributed to a general lack of interest in the foot amongst health care professionals in previous years. In contrast, over 140 delegates representing every specialty in the foot-care team, and from Scandinavia, Switzerland, and Australia as well as the UK, gathered for 2 days of lectures and discussion on the diabetic foot in Malvern at the end of May. This report will highlight important areas in the field and will briefly cover recent developments. Full and detailed recent reviews of the subject are available