Advances in the Clinical Treatment and Prognosis of Patients with Diabetic Foot Using Both Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62517/jmpe.202618404

Author(s)

Cheng Wang1, Xia Liu1,2

Affiliation(s)

Abstract

Diabetic foot is a serious diabetic complication characterized by localized lower‑extremity (below‑ankle) tissue ulceration induced by chronic neuropathy, angiopathy and secondary infection. It severely impairs patients’ quality of life and serves as a leading cause of diabetes‑related disability, mobility loss and mortality, bringing great physical agony and heavy economic burdens to patients and their families. Therefore, its prevention and treatment have become a vital public health concern. With growing public recognition, multiple interventions including negative‑pressure wound therapy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy have been applied, and multidisciplinary strategies are advocated to elevate cure rates and lower amputation and mortality risks. This paper reviews recent advances in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for diabetic foot. Oral TCM treatment mainly adopts staged intervention and syndrome‑differentiated therapy; external TCM modalities cover herbal foot soaks and topical wound medications, while new TCM preparations are under clinical exploration. It also illustrates patient‑oriented health education, case management, risk screening and holistic foot care, offering references for diabetic foot prevention. To cut its incidence and control disability and amputation rates, this review summarizes the progress and prognostic profile of integrated Chinese‑Western therapy for diabetic foot.

Keywords

Diabetic Foot; Integrated traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Treatment; Research Advances; Pathogenesis

References

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