CASE REPORT article
Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Clinical Diabetes
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1704770
This article is part of the Research TopicInnovative Therapeutic Strategies for Managing Diabetic Foot Ulcers and Mitigating Associated ComplicationsView all 17 articles
Integrated treatment utilizing both Chinese and Western medicine for refractory diabetic foot ulcers: A case report
Provisionally accepted
- Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
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Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is a severe complication of diabetes associated with a high risk of amputation and long-term disability. We report the case of a 57-year-old man with a Wagner grade IV DFU whose condition continued to deteriorate despite two toe amputations. An integrative treatment strategy combining traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and western medicine was subsequently employed and proved effective. The TCM regimen included oral decoctions and topical herbal applications, while the western medical approach encompassed targeted therapies including glycemic control, anti-infective therapy, circulatory enhancement, anticoagulation, neurotrophic support, and nutritional management. Over a 144-day course, the ulcer demonstrated near-complete closure at discharge, with full epithelialization and functional recovery confirmed at follow-up. HbA1c decreased from 13.5% to 7.0%, indicating improved metabolic control. This case illustrates that an integrative management strategy can effectively control infection, promote tissue regeneration, and restore limb function in advanced DFU.
Keywords: Diabetic foot ulcers, Traditional Chinese Medicine, wound, Wound Healing, Woundcare
Received: 15 Sep 2025; Accepted: 21 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Liu, Liu, Chen, Yue, Yang and Hu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Maoyi Yang, 3406673658@qq.com
Zhipeng Hu, 545053309@qq.com
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