Precipitating Factors for Diabetes Foot Ulcer in a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital
Loading...
Date
2018-05
Authors
Raimi, T.H
Fasanmade, O.A
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
European- American Journals
Abstract
The diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) continues to afflict patients with diabetes despite the knowledge of its precipitants. Given the high cost of managing DFU, we sought to determine whether the immediate precipitating factors for the development of foot ulcerations have changed, in order to suggest effective preventive strategies. Methods: This is a descriptive study. The case records of patients admitted for diabetic foot ulcers at Lagos University
Teaching Hospital between 2003-2005 were retrospectively reviewed. Information extracted from the notes included age, sex, duration and type of diabetes, fasting and or random/casual plasma glucose at presentation, grade of foot ulcer and the immediate precipitating factors.
Results: Twenty-seven case records of patients with DFU were available for analysis. There were 15 (55.6%) males. The age range was 43-83 years with a mean of 61.04years. Type 2 diabetes was present in 92.6% of the patients, while the mean duration of diabetes was 7.98 years (range, 0-27years). Diagnosis of DM was made for the first time in 2(7.4%) of the patients at presentation of the foot problem. The mean admitting fasting and random plasma glucose were 133.3mg% (7.4mmol/L) and 227.2 mg% (12.6mmol/L) respectively. Of the 27
patients, 13 (48.1%) had lesions on the right foot while 6(22.2%) had bilateral DMFS. The majority (85.2%) of the patients had grades 2-4 ulcers. Trauma was the most frequent
precipitant occurring in 33.3% of cases followed by tight/ inappropriate shoes or ill-fitting footwear (18.5%). Tinea pedis alone and burns precipitated DMFS in 7.4% and 3.7% of cases
respectively, while both tinea pedis and inappropriate foot ware further contributed to DMFS
in 3.7% of patients. In 29.6% of cases, the ulcers developed spontaneously.
Conclusions/Recommendations: The immediate precipitating factors for diabetic foot ulcer
remain unchanged, and can be prevented through patients’ adherence to diabetes treatment,
and health education on proper foot care and foot ware practices
Description
Scholarly article
Keywords
Diabetes , Foot ulcer , Prevention , Preventive strategies , Research Subject Categories::MEDICINE
Citation
Raimi TH, Fasanmade OA. Precipitating Factors for Diabetes Foot Ulcer in a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital. European Journal of Biology and Medical Science Research. 2018;6(2) 21-28