Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Diabetic foot is a major health problem for people with diabetes mellitus. It can cause serious complications leading to lower extremity amputations. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of foot complications among diabetic patients in Mahdia, Tunisia.

Methods: Detail history and examination including neurological and vascular assessment were performed in 150 patients with diabetes mellitus attending Tahar Sfar hospital and Ezzahra primary care center in Mahdia. Foot at risk was classified according to risk classification consensus of the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF). The risk level was correlated with demographic and clinical features.

Results: The mean age of patients was 56.91 ± 12.6 years with a range of 20 to 86 years. A low level of education was found in 76% of cases and patients had a history of hypertension (41.4%), high total cholesterol (46%). Smoking was found in 13.3% of cases. Half of patients were using oral medications, 28% were using insulin therapy and 21.3% were using both oral and insulin therapies. A medical history of hypertension was found in 41.4% of patients. Only 10% of diabetics had been screened for sensory neuropathy. Forty–three per cent of patients were in group 0 of the IWGDF, 37% in group 1, 15.3% in group 2 and 4% in group 3. Patients in higher–risk groups had longer diabetes duration (P = 0.045).Risk was higher in the presence of diabetic neuropathy (P = 0.0001), retinopathy (P = 0.000009) and nephropathy (P = 0.02). Patient’s BMI, smoking did not have signifcant correlation with risk of diabetic foot ulcer.

Conclusion: Despite the low prevalence of foot ulceration and amputation among the study population, a substantial proportion had potential risk factors for foot complications.