An integrated model for computer assisted diagnosis, treatment and design of insoles for the diabetic foot

The incidence of diabetes hasincreased significantly in recentdecades. In Germany, there is anestimate of three million diabeticsand this number is growing at arate of about 2 percent per year. Inthe U.S.A., the American DiabetesAssociation estimates that thirteenmillion people suffer from this con-dition, representing 5.2 percent ofthe entire population and everyyear, some 35 thousand patientshave a lower limb amputated. InLatin America, it has been repor-ted that the prevalence of diabetesis of the order of 14 to 20 percent,according to a research conductedby the WHO’s Ad Hoc DiabetesReporting Group. In Colombia, astudy by Ashner et al concludesthat the prevalence is 7 percent inboth sexes.