The number of people with diabetes mellitus (DM) has been conservatively estimated to approximately double by 2030 to a worldwide prevalence of at which time 366 million people will have diabetes (Wild et al., 2004). As the number of people with DM rises, so too will the burden of diabetic foot disease, particularly since the factors contributing to ulcer formation such as peripheral neuropathy and vascular disease are already present in 10% of people at the time of diagnosis (Boulton et al., 2005). The risk of an individual with DM developing a foot ulcer some time in his or her lifetime could be as high.
