Modern Biotechnologies to Treat “Difficult Lesions”

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a disease with a heavy impact on social-health. About 15% of the over 200 million patients affected by diabetes in the world have lesions on the legs of various kind, among which pure ischemic, neuro-ischemic, and neuropathic lesions, or lesions caused by local infections; in addition, 50% of these patients require limb amputation. A typical characteristic of the diabetic person is the lack of the earliest symptom of peripheral arterial diseases: the “ intermittent ” claudicatio that often occurs together with sensory neuropathy and causes a decreased perception of pain. Therefore, the primary and secondary prophylaxes of the diabetic foot lesions are one of the main aims of the Health Care Program. The present review shows the various types of advanced medications used in our facility to treat severe wounds, highlighting the fact that a multidisciplinary and multi-professional approach is essential to any Health Organization for dealing with the increasingly heavy lesions of hospitalized patients. Thanks to a growing awareness by the healthcare professionals and the considerable improvements in the patients' lifestyle, the solution solving the current problems comes from the opening of new specialized centers for the treatment of diabetic foot lesions in hemodialysed patients by means of multi-skilled figures, among which dermatologists, vascular surgeons, diabetologists, plastic surgeons, nephrologists, and specialist nursing staff.