Foot Osteomyelitis in Patients Without Diabetes.

Background: Virtually all studies describing osteomyelitis of the foot have confined themselves to patients with diabetes mellitus. Although much less common, infection of bones in the feet does occur in patients without diabetes. We characterized episodes of foot osteomyelitis occurring in patients without diabetes to help guide clinical management. Methods: Patients treated for probable or definite osteomyelitis at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center from January 2011 to March 2015 were included in this study. We reviewed patient and infection characteristics, treatments, and outcomes. Nonparametric analyses were used for comparisons. Results: A total of 184 episodes of foot osteomyelitis met inclusion criteria: 20 in patients without diabetes and 164 in patients with diabetes. Patients without diabetes were older, thinner, had better renal function, and a stronger history of cigarette smoking (P

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