Interpretation and comparison of guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of diabetic foot between International Working Group on Diabetic Foot and Chinese Diabetes Society

Abstract

This exploratory study attempted to establish the rules in diagnosis and treatment of diabetic foot, through interpretation and comparison of the guidelines for diabetic foot from domestic with international ones. The document provided comparison between Guidelines of International Working Group on Diabetic Foot (IWGDF) and Chinese Diabetes Society (CDS) in 2019, related to diabetic foot disease on: methodology, content, prevention, offloading, peripheral artery disease (PAD), infection, wound healing interventions, and classification of diabetic foot ulcers. Prevention of ulcers in persons with diabetes foot is very important, and a non-removable offloading device is the first-choice of offloading treatment; Surgical indications and reasonable treatment should be mastered in PAD; Different anti-infection treatments, including surgical debridement, should be used base on the severity of foot infection; There are lots of treatments to improve healing, however the Grand Standard of medical evidence is not very high; There are a larger number of proposed classifications and scoring systems for diabetic foot, but none of them could cover all the needs of diagnosis and treatment. Thus, the principles outlined have to be adapted or modified by our health care professionals, based on local circumstances, to develop a standardizated procedure in diagnosis and treatment of diabetic foot. Key words: Diabetic foot; Guidelines; International Working Group on Diabetic Foot; Chinese Diabetes Society