trench foot

trench foot A painful condition caused by exposure of the foot for several days. Trench foot was common during trench warfare in World War I and World War II, when soldiers stood for days and weeks in wet, muddy ditches without being able to change their footwear; today it is seen most frequently in urban homeless people. The feet become numb, turn red and then blue, develop blisters, and become infected. Gangrene may set in. Untreated trench foot can lead to the need for amputation due to gangrene; it can even lead to death.