Charcot Foot: The Zebra You Need to Know

Charcot foot is a rare and debilitating disease that primarily affects patients with diabetes. Advanced neuropathy can mask the presence of this progressive and severe condition, resulting in it often being overlooked. Rare conditions such as Charcot foot are less common than they are underdiagnosed. The leading barrier to a prompt diagnosis of Charcot foot is the failure to include it in the differential diagnoses. Clinicians must consider Charcot foot when a patient with diabetes presents with unilateral inflammation, edema, and warmth. Alerting clinicians to consider this diagnosis earlier in presentation can positively impact clinical outcomes.