All Toes Considered for Diabetic Foot: Prevention, Treatment, and Healthcare Policy
A special issue of Diabetology (ISSN 2673-4540).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 June 2026 | Viewed by 4
Special Issue Editors
Interests: limb salvage; diabetic foot; wound healing
2. Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
Interests: cognitive neuroscience; statistical analysis; machine learning
2. College of Podiatric Medicine, Samuel Merritt University, Oakland, CA 94609, USA
Interests: diabetic foot; amputation prevention; healthcare policy; wound care; biomechanics
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Diabetic foot complications—including chronic ulceration, infection, and subsequent amputation—are a major driver of healthcare expenditure and are associated with unacceptably high mortality. The lifetime risk of developing a diabetic foot ulcer is approximately 34%, and such ulcers precede at least 85% of lower-extremity amputations. Five-year mortality following a diabetic foot ulcer or amputation surpasses 50%, exceeding that of many common cancers. The causes of diabetic foot complications are multifactorial: neuropathy impairs protective sensation, autonomic regulation, and musculoskeletal innervation, predisposing to tissue breakdown and recurrent wounds; diabetic angiopathy compromises perfusion and further contributes to impaired healing, especially in the presence of kidney disease. Beyond pathophysiology, gaps in healthcare delivery and policy can delay timely diagnosis, referral, and treatment. The consequences are profound, including limb loss and increased risk of death. Given this complexity, this Special Issue will encompass topics ranging from population-level analyses to clinical trials, and from prevention strategies to novel surgical and technological interventions, with the shared goal of reducing diabetic foot–related amputations.
Dr. David G. Armstrong
Dr. Sofia Sakellaridi
Dr. Chia-Ding Shih
Dr. Miguel Manzur
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- diabetic foot
- amputation prevention
- limb salvage
- healthcare policy
- wound care
- surgical offloading
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