A comparative study of foot infections in diabetic and non-diabetic patients with reference to etiopathogenesis, clinical features and outcome

Background: Infections in the foot are more common with significant proportion of world’s population remaining bare foot, minor skin trauma is a frequent cause of local infection. The present study was conducted with an aim to study various foot infections and compare the findings in diabetic and non diabetic patients with reference to etiopathogenesis, clinical features, management, duration of hospital stay and outcome.Methods: The present study was conducted in Mamata General Hospital, Khammam, Telangana state from October 2016 to September 2018. A total of 50 cases were divided into 2 groups, Group A included 25 patients with diabetic foot infection and Group B included 25 patients with non diabetic foot infections.Results: In diabetics 6th decade and in non-diabetics 4th-6th decade was the most common age group presenting with foot infections. Cellulitis of the foot was the most common in both diabetics (40%) and non-diabetics (52%). Wagner’s grade 4 lesions were more common in diabetics (28%) than in non-diabetics (8%). The most common site of lesion in diabetics was dorsum (40%) and in non-diabetics was toes (40%). The incidence of neuropathy was significantly higher in diabetics (72%) than in non-diabetics (20%). Rate of amputation was high in diabetics (12%) compared to non-diabetics (8%). The average number days in a hospital stay in diabetics was 42.27 days and in non-diabetics it was 28.96 days.Conclusion: Diabetic patients have increased severity of infections, delayed healing process, need more active interventions. As compared to the non-diabetic patients, they do show high risk of amputations and prolonged hospital stay.

Omega 3 fatty acids as a host modulator in chronic periodontitis patients: a randomised, double-blind, palcebo-controlled, clinical trial

PURPOSE: Periodontitis is an infectious disease caused predominantly by gram-negative anerobes. The host inflammatory response to these bacteria causes alveolar bone loss that is characterized as periodontitis. Omega-3 fatty acids (omega-3 FAs) have anti-inflammatory properties, thus have been used to treat some chronic inflammatory diseases such as cardiovascular disease and rheumatoid arthritis. We aimed to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation with omega-3 FAs as a host modulating agent in patients with chronic periodontitis. METHODS: Sixty otherwise healthy subjects with moderate and severe chronic periodontitis were enrolled in our randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The control group (CG, n=30) was treated with scaling and root planing (SRP) and given a placebo; the treatment group (TG, n=30) was treated with SRP and dietary supplementation of omega-3 FAs (one 300 mg tablet daily for 12 weeks). Periodontal clinical parameters and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were evaluated in all patients at baseline, a 6-week and 12-week period after treatment. RESULTS: A significant reduction in the gingival index, sulcus bleeding index, pocket depth, and clinical attachment level was found in the TG compared to the CG at a 12-week period. However, no statistically significant changes in serum CRP levels were found. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that omega-3 FAs can successfully reduce gingival inflammation, pocket depth, and attachment level gain. Dietary supplementation with omega-3 FAs may have potential benefits as a host modulatory agent in the prevention and/or adjunctive management of chronic periodontitis.

Herbal anti-inflammatory immunomodulators as host modulators in chronic periodontitis patients: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial

PURPOSE: Host modulatory therapy has been proposed as a treatment for periodontal diseases. A class of herbal medicines, known to be immunomodulators, alters the activity of immune function through the regulation of informational molecules such as cytokines. In the current study, we tested the hypothesis that herbal immunomodulator drugs act as an adjuvant to scaling and root planing (SRP) in alleviating periodontal inflammation by improving clinical and biochemical parameters. METHODS: Sixty healthy subjects (30 in each group) with moderate and severe chronic periodontitis were enrolled in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, double-masked randomised controlled trial. The control group was treated with SRP and a placebo, whereas the test group was treated with SRP followed by dietary supplementation of Septilin for 3 weeks. Periodontal clinical parameters and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were evaluated for all patients at the baseline, 3 weeks, and 6 weeks. RESULTS: Improved gingival index scores found in the test group as compared to the control group were found to be statistically significant only after 3 weeks (P0.05) and 6 weeks (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this clinical-biochemical study suggest that dietary supplementation with herbal immunomodulatory agents may be a promising adjunct to SRP and may aid in improving periodontal treatment outcomes.