[Incidence of factors favoring recurrent foot ulcers in diabetic patients]. / Etude de la fréquence et des facteurs favorisant les récidives des ulcères de pied chez les patients diabétiques.

BACKGROUND: Patients with foot ulcers have a high risk of relapse and amputation. Several studies have reported that 28 to 51% of amputated diabetics will have a second amputation of the lower limb within five years of the first amputation. The purpose of this study was to assess the incidence of factors favoring relapse within two years. MATERIAL AND METHODS: One hundred ten diabetic patients were treated for foot lesions in the Casablanca Ibn Rochd university hospital between 1997 and 2000. Ninety of these patients attended review consultations. RESULTS: There were 42 cases of relapse (46.6%). Male gender predominated in the relapse patients with a sex ratio of 3.2. Mean age at relapse was 55 years; 71.5% of the patients had type 2 diabetes. Lesions observed were neuropathic ulcer (n=23), arterial ulcer (n=6), infected wounds (n=13). Revealing factors were burns and wounds. The main risk factors were neuropathy (n=23, 52%), neuroarteriopathy (n=12, 31%), peur arteriopathy (n=6, 12%). Patients who relapsed (n=42) were significantly different from patients who did not relapse (n=48) for gender, presence or absence of neuropathy, and presence or absence of arteriopathy. DISCUSSION: Secondary preventive measures against these risk factors, medical care, and specialized follow-up were satisfactory in these patients. our findings illustrate the importance of specialized management of diabetic patients with foot lesions. Adequate care of the lesions and preventive measures against risk factors are needed.

[Allgrove's syndrome]. / Syndrome d'Allgrove.

INTRODUCTION: Triple A syndrome is an autosomal recessive disease causing achalasia, alacrima and adrenal involvement with isolated glucocorticoid deficiency. Less than 70 cases have been reported worldwide. We report a case of familial adrenal insufficiency with hyperpigmentation diagnosed in a 14 month-old child. CASE REPORT: A 2 year-old boy, a product of consanguineous parents, was referred to our institution for evaluation of melanoderma. Since birth the boy had suffered from vomiting and diarrhea. Aged 6 months, mucosal erosive lesions had appeared associated with fever and further complicated at the age of one year by alacrima. At the age of 14 months, hyperpigmentation of all the skin had occurred. The family history is significant: two siblings (a girl and a boy) died of hypoglycemia with melanoderma and alacrima at the age of 5 and 3 respectively. Physical examination showed generalized hyperpigmentation particularly marked on the lips and genitalia. The genitalia of our patient were normal. Cortisol was 23.7 microns/l (normal: 193-772); ACTH was 11,722 pg/ml (normal: 10-60) and computed tomography of the abdomen confirmed adrenal gland hypoplasia. Treatment was initiated with hydrocortisone at the dose of 10 mg/day. At the age of 3, the boy developed plantar hyperkeratosis. When solid food was introduced, vomiting and regurgitation increased. An oesophagogram with fibroscopy revealed achalasia of the cardia. This was successfully corrected by surgery. Schimer's test confirmed alacrima. DISCUSSION: Our case report, characteristic of triple A syndrome, is unusual in view of the presence of plantar keratoderma and absence of any neurological abnormalities.