Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is one of the leading causes of non-traumatic lower extremity amputations worldwide. Conventional treatment is expensive and often requires a long hospital stay, placing a heavy burden on any healthcare system. Using autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP), which is rich in various growth factors, can approximate the natural healing process.

Objective: Evaluate the place of PRP injections and its interest in the management of DFU.

Material and methodology: Prospective descriptive study including 21 patients hospitalized in the endocrinology department of the Ibn Rochd UTH in Casablanca for DFU, having received PRP injections, from September 2016 to September 2019. We excluded those with positive hepatic or HIV serologies and hemostasis disorders.

Results: The mean age was 56 years (34-75 years). A male predominance with an M/F sex ratio of 1.5. The average duration of diabetes was 13 years (3 to 30 years). The mean HbA1c was 10.9% (8.6-14.9%). The majority (86%) had grade 2 feet according to the TEXAS classification. The patients benefited from 4 to 7 sessions of PRP injections at the rate of one per week. The evolution was marked by good healing in 92% of patients with budding and epidermization. No incident of blood or infection were noted.

Conclusion: PRP injections offer a promising alternative in the management of DFU. It is less expensive, less invasive, promotes safe and natural healing by reducing healing time. This is a method of the future taking place in the therapeutic arsenal of DFUs.