The Charcot foot: Is it a commonly overlooked entity in diabetic population

Abstract

Charcot Osteoarthropathy of the foot and ankle is one of a complication of diabetic neuropathy. The identification and diagnosis of these cases pose a challenging task to the general care physicians. Equally a challenging condition to treat, Charcot foot management can pose significant difficulties unless the treatment is initiated in early stages. The present study aimed at finding out the prevalence rate of Charcot foot among the diabetic patients presenting to a tertiary care centre. We had a prevalence rate of 0.01% for Charcot foot among the study population. We could identify that the diagnosis was made late in all our cases and it was difficult to differentiate between infection and Charcot foot. The prevalence rate doubled to 0.02% when we take into account the cases with no clear cut evidence of infection. Charcot foot is a debilitating complication of diabetes mellitus. Though not a common one we encounter, this complication needs an early diagnosis for prompt treatment. Hence any diabetic foot complications may be ideally referred for specialist opinion at the earliest.