RT Journal
A1 Pinzur, Michael S.
T1 Levin and O’Neal’s The Diabetic Foot. 6th ed.
JF The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery
JO The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery
YR 2001
FD April 1
VO 83
IS 4
SP 639
OP d
DO 
UL http://dx.doi.org/
AB 
At any point in time, 3% to 4% of the diabetic
population will have a foot ulcer, and 15% of the 16 million
Americans with diabetes will have a foot ulcer in their lifetime.
Following the development of a foot ulcer or infection, the risk
of lower-extremity amputation is increased by a factor of eight,
leading to over 50,000 such amputations yearly in the United States
alone. No other disease affects as many organ systems and requires
the interaction of as many medical disciplines. As knowledge has
become available, each medical and surgical discipline has developed
different strategies for tackling this health-care epidemic, but
there has been very little interdisciplinary interaction.