Evaluation of Risk Factors Associated with Diabetic Foot Ulcers in Saudi Arabia

摘要

Background and Aims: Considering that diabetic foot ulceration is one of the major healthissues globally, we aimed to evaluate the risk factors associated with foot ulcers in patients with type 2diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Methods: A total of 81 T2DM patients (age range: 40-80 years) registered at the Diabetes TreatmentCenter, Prince Sultan Military Medical City (PSMMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between April and September2015 were included in this cross-sectional study after purposive selection and assigning of patientnumbers. The selected participants were interviewed and examined, and their medical recordswere reviewed for sensory, vibratory, and painful neuropathies; vascular insufficiency; retinopathy;and dermatological variations. The Wagner’s classification system was employed to evaluate the stageof patients’ foot ulcers.Results: Among the study participants mean age range: 56.4 ± 6.72 years; 53 males (65.4), cases ofloss of protective sensation, foot deformity, amputation history, and dermatological abnormalities werenotable. The Wagner gradation value of ulcers were grade 0 for 16 study population, grade 1 for35.8, grade 2 for 45.7, grade 3 for 2.5, and grades 4 and 5 for 0. Approximately 19 of the patientshad a previous case of amputation and 29.6 had nail disease. The most common footwear reportedto be used by the patients was sandals shoes (46).Conclusion: The issues of loss of protective sensation, vascular insufficiency, deformity, previous amputations,and dermatological abnormalities of the lower limbs were found to be most common amongthe foot ulceration patients. The study findings thus recommend regular foot examination, followingbasic hygiene habits, encouragement of the use of appropriate footwear, patient education about footulcers, and prompt treatment for minor injuries to prevent further ulceration in DM patients.