CHRONIC STRESS IN THE HEALING PROCESSES OF ELDERLY SUBJECTS WITH CHRONIC SKIN LESIONS (DIABETIC FOOT)

Grasso Antonino¹, Chisari Laura Maria^{1, *}, Arcidiacono Giuseppe², Di Nuovo Santo³, Chisari Eleonora Margherita³

¹Department of General Surgery and Medical Surgical Specialties - University of Catania - Italy - ²Cardiological Rehabilitation ARNAS Garibaldi" Catania - Italy - ³Department of Education - University of Catania - Italy

Introduction: Foot ulcers result from a combination of factors such as increased biomechanical stress, reduced skin perfusion, loss of protective sensations, and external trauma. A major complication of the diabetic foot is infection, which in most cases sets in on an ulcer that has been open for a long time and not specifically and adequately treated. The AA have evaluated changes in chronic stress with the efficacy of HAM on subjects with chronic diabetic foot skin lesions versus nondiabetic control subjects with peripheral arterial disease. 

Materials and methods: Study design: 20 subjects (4 F - 16 M mean age 68.5±4.9) group "A" with chronic diabetic skin foot lesions (CDSFL) were admitted to our study, according to a randomization scheme, and evaluated versus 20 healthy subjects group "B" (9 F-11 M mean age 67.2±7.1 controls) with peripheral arterial disease.

Results: The two groups showed no statistically significant differences in sex and age variables. Sample analysis showed a higher MSP regulation score than the 75th percentile values significant among subjects "A" with CDSFL versus subjects in group "B" with AP for the variables of MSP scores and the percentage of patients with clinically significant stress (p = 0.01 and p = 00:05). Individual cluster analysis showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups for only clusters 1 and 2 (p = 0.03 and p = 0.04, respectively).

Discussion-conclusion: In this study we showed the existence of a close correlation between infectious markers and emotional and functional stress factors in both male and female populations. The data of this study show a close correlation between subjects with chronic skin lesions with CDSFL and the loss of control, irritability, sense of confusion, depression and anxiety that are frequently present in elderly subjects with disabling diseases. The diabetic foot is a multifactorial pathology that requires an integrated multidisciplinary therapeutic approach where the support of clinical psychology.