Symposium
on diabetic foot
(Portuguese
PDF version)
Marcio
Leal de Meirelles1, Valéria C. Guimarães2
1.
President of the Brazilian Society of Angiology and Vascular Surgery.
2. President of the Brazilian Society of Endocrinology and
Metabology.
J
Vasc Br 2003;2(1):01-02
The number
of diabetics has been escalating all over the world. The complications
of diabetes have required heavier investments. In the field of angiology
and vascular surgery, the statistics clearly show, and a visit to major
emergency hospitals confirm, that the number of diabetic patients with
foot disorders - the so-called diabetic foot - has become a public health
problem. Occlusion of lower limb arteries, which is frequent among these
patients, results in a high incidence of amputations and mutilations.
On top of that, due to inefficient prevention measures and to the lack
of information of patients, several patients arrive at the hospital
with gangrene and in septic shock. In these cases, surgeons have no
other alternative but to amputate the limb. In some urban centers, the
number of mutilations is so elevated that a new and tragic expression
has been used to describe it: "the legion of amputees."
In several Brazilian states and with the support from the Brazilian
Society of Angiology and Vascular Surgery (SBACV), angiologists and
vascular surgeons, along with endocrinologists and other specialists,
have helped public authorities to tackle the problem. Unfortunately
in some cases, it is necessary to make the ones in charge of the sector
aware of the severity of the problem, or still, as occurred recently
in one of our major cities, request the public prosecutor's office to
take the proper measures. Either way, diabetic foot has been acknowledged
and treated as a serious problem in our country.
Given this scenario, administrative measures have to be taken so that
the health care system can be properly organized, managed and hierarchically
structured. Since in almost all medical fields the prophylaxis of the
diabetic foot is still the most important clinical approach, endocrinologists,
who treat diabetes, are the ones who frequently detect the problem.
Scientifically, the treatment of the diabetic foot requires a multidisciplinary
approach, with the participation of several other medical specialties
(angiology, vascular surgery, physiatry, orthopedics, etc.), as well
as the participation of professionals from other areas (social workers,
nurses, physical therapists, administrative staff, psychologists, etc.).
The Symposium on Diabetic Foot, published in the current issue of Jornal
Vascular Brasileiro, will certainly contribute to improving the treatment
of diabetic patients. Given the special relevance of the participation
of an endocrinologist in such treatment, we left considerable room for
the work conducted by Dr. Helena Schmid, a renowned professional in
this medical field. Furthermore, the current issue of the official journal
of the Brazilian Society of Angiology and Vascular Surgery is being
sent to all members of the Brazilian Society of Endocrinology and Metabology,
which shows the convergence of both societies towards the search of
solutions to this pressing problem.
