Clinical presentation of necrotizing fasciitis in type-2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Background: Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is a serious infectious necrotizing process that affects the skin and soft tissues. This syndrome is linked to a number of systemic hosts crippling disorders, including malignant neoplasia, persistent alcohol consumption, and diabetes mellitus (DM), which may be regarded as risk factors for developing this disease. Aim and Objective: The aim and objective of the study are to assess the distinctions between patients who have operatively confirmed NF and those who do not have diabetes. Materials and Methods: A prospective descriptive study was done to study NF among DM patients. Using the International Classification of Diseases-9 number for NF (728.86), we were able to identify all instances of NF that had been verified by surgery in a tertiary care institution. The hospital provides tertiary referral care in addition to primary care. A total of 61 patients with Type II DM and extremity NF comprise the study population. Results: There were a total of 61 patients enrolled in our study, and we had representation from varied age groups. The mean average age was 56.6 ± 10.22 years. Sixty-one type II diabetic patients make up the study group; of these, 48 (78.7%) were male and 13 (21.3%) were female. Patients primarily presented with a maximum score of 3, according to the Wagner score that was used to evaluate the clinical score at presentation. Moreover, the group with the highest frequency, a score of 0, or 57.3%, included pre-ulcerative lesions, healed ulcers, and skeletal deformities. Conclusion: Our study concluded that NF is a very serious disorder, especially among diabetic patients. Uncontrolled DM had a poor prognosis of NF. Because of this, early diagnosis and vigorous therapy with better results should result from increased knowledge of its non-specific presentation along with a high index of suspicion and direct fascial inspection, particularly in diabetic patients.