A Comparative Study on the Effect of PRP in Healing Diabetic Foot Ulcers Compared to Standard Treatment in Diabetic Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial Study

Background and Aims: Emerging therapies such as autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP), which delivers a supraphysiological concentration of growth factors including but not limited to PDGF, VEGF, and TGF-β have shown promise in enhancing tissue regeneration and healing. This study compares two treatments for diabetic foot ulcers: the standard method (normal saline washing and routine debridement) and the PRP method (autologous platelet-rich plasma). It evaluates PRP's effectiveness in accelerating healing compared to standard care in diabetic patients, specifically in terms of wound area reduction over a 6-week period, the proportion of patients achieving complete healing, and the average time to healing. Methods: In this double-blind randomized clinical trial conducted on patients referred to Velayat Hospital, 50 eligible type I and II diabetic patients aged 40-70 were randomly allocated to two groups using color-coded sealed envelopes, ensuring allocation concealment. One group received PRP and the other standard treatment. Double-blinding was maintained by using identical syringes for both treatments, and independent assessors unaware of group assignments evaluated wound healing weekly. Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding gender and HbA1c levels. However, a significant difference was observed in wound healing rates between the PRP method and the standard method across the two groups. Additionally, a meaningful relationship was found when comparing the average age of patients treated with both methods. There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding gender and HbA1c levels. Conclusions: Ultimately, our research indicates that the PRP method is a more effective alternative to the standard method alone for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. Additionally, younger patients demonstrated a faster rate of diabetic foot ulcer healing. PRP's superior efficacy may justify its moderate upfront costs given potential long-term savings from reduced complications.