posted 10/07/02
A significant percentage of
amputations stemming from complications of diabetes could be avoided by early
and proper treatment with antibiotics, according to a German researcher.
Bacterial infections
play a role in about 40% of all diabetic foot syndrome-related amputations
according to Dr. Bernd Drewelow, director of the Institute for Clinical
Pharmacology at the University of Rostock.
"Using antibiotics to
treat diabetic foot syndrome could save a lot of feet," he said. He estimates
that 20% to 50% of amputations due bacterial infections could be avoided with
early and proper treatment with antibiotics.
But many physicians
treating diabetic foot syndrome are not knowledgeable about the possibility of
infection, Dr. Drewelow said. "I think this is a problem all over the world," he
said.
Dr. Drewelow and his
team have been focusing on two newer antibiotics, linezolid and moxifloxacin.
Because of poor
circulation in the feet, many antibiotics are not able to reach the infected
areas at effective levels, he said. Emphasizing that further research is
necessary, he said that early evidence suggests linezolid and moxifloxacin in
some cases can reach the infected areas at concentrations high enough to be
effective.
Furthermore, the two
agents appear to be effective against some of the most common bacteria
associated with diabetic foot syndrome.
Source: Diabetes In Control Dot Com.