Blood glucose and lipid profile in patients with diabetic foot ulcer that underwent hyperbaric oxygen therapy

Background: Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is one of complication in patients with diabetes mellitus. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is one of adjuvant therapy to increase wound healing on a chronic wound. It may affect biochemical aspect of DFU patient. This study investigates the change in blood glucose levels and lipid profile in the patients with DFU who underwent HBOT. Methods: Patients with Wagner grade three and four was recruited in this study. The patients divided into two groups (control and HBOT group). A blood sample from all patients was taken before debridement and after 20 sessions of HBOT or 20 days of conventional therapy. We used HBOT 20 sessions at 2.4 ATA (atmosphere absolute) for 90 minutes per session per day. Results: A total of 32 patients participated in this study. Each group consists of 16 patients. Blood glucose levels were decreased after therapy in each group, but these results were not significant (p 0.05). There was significant increased of LDL cholesterol levels (p = 0.009), HDL cholesterol levels (p = 0.002), and total cholesterol levels (p = 0.023) after therapy in HBOT group, but not in control group. The difference of all blood glucose parameters was not significant (p 0.05). However, the difference in LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol was significantly different (p 0.05). Conclusion: There is no significant effect of HBOT to decrease blood sugar, but the significant increase of lipid profile may be caused by the reaction of lipid peroxidation. Increased of lipid profile can be the side effect of HBOT.