Advancements in improving health-related quality of life in patients living with diabetic foot ulcers

Introduction: Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) constitutes a burden to patients with diabetes deteriorating their quality of life. Health related quality of life (HRQoL) can now be quantified with the use of specific tools; some of them provide a holistic approach to patients' well-being, while others are disease specific or even region specific. Many of these tools are applicable to patients with DFU. This review will present current data about the impact different interventions in the management of DFU on quality of life related parameters. Areas covered: We performed a search of literature using keywords 'diabetes mellitus', 'diabetic foot ulcer', 'diabetic foot', 'health related quality of life', 'quality of life' and 'SF-36' to identify studies that contained data about the relationship between different interventions and quality of life of patients with diabetic foot ulcers. Expert commentary: Available data are not sufficient to conclude on the impact of interventions aimed to heal DFU on HRQoL. There is need for more, better designed studies and meta-analysis to estimate the effect of treatments on HRQoL in patients with DFUs. The development of new, diabetic foot specific tools will help to improve our knowledge in this field.