Lanzetti RM, et al. - The role of diabetes mellitus and BMI in wound healing was evaluated in patients younger than 65 years who were surgically treated for malleoli fractures. The researchers indicated that in young adult patients with surgically treated bimalleolar fractures, diabetes mellitus and higher BMI delayed the wound healing and increased the complication rate.

• The researchers retrospectively enrolled 90 patients (18 - 65 years) with surgically treated ankle fracture.
• They classified patients in 2 groups: patient with diabetes and patients without diabetes (insulin-dependent and non-insulin dependent).
• They evaluated all patients for wound complications.
• For all patients, VAS and Foot and Ankle Disability Index (FADI) were assessed.
• They used logistic regression to identify the risk of wound complications after surgery using the following factors as explanatory variables: age, gender, duration of surgery, BMI, hypercholesterolemia, smoking habit, diabetes mellitus and high blood pressure.

• The researchers observed wound complications in 38.9% of patients (17.1% were non-diabetics and 82.9% were diabetics).
• A significant association was observed between DM and wound complications after surgery (p = 0.0051).
• In logistic regression analysis, the researchers demonstrated that DM (p<0.001) and BMI (p=0.03) were correlated with wound complications.
• In the presence of diabetes, the odds of having a postoperative wound complication were increased 0.16 times and 1.14 times for increasing BMI.