The risk factors of developing diabetic foot ulcers incidence with diabetic patients in Mukalla/Yemen

Abstract

Background: Diabetes is on the rise worldwide and is already considered as an epidemic by some experts. So, there is a need to raise awareness on the important factors that can help prevent bacterial infection in wounds of patients with diabetes. Objective: To study the risk factors of developing diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) in patients with diabetes. The study is the first in Yemen to investigate the prevalence of bacterial infection in wounds of diabetic patients. Materials and Methods: This is a case-control study carried out from November 2018 to May 2019. Twenty diabetic patients with foot ulcer and twenty without foot ulcer were examined. Risk factors and clinical profile of patients were studied by using a standardized questionnaire that included gender, age groups, past history of diabetes, duration of the disease, type of diabetes, DFU, type of ulcer, smoking, glucose level, and control of blood glucose level. Results: The risk factors that affected significantly the occurrence of DFU were gender (0.038), age groups (0.010), and duration of diabetes mellitus (DM) while hyperglycemic control, smoking, and family history were not. There was no significant difference (0.977) in mean fasting blood glucose (MBG) between the DM and DFU patients. Conclusions: Male diabetic patients aged more than 55 years and suffering from DM for more than 10 years were most likely to have DFU. Key words: diabetic foot ulcer, diabetes mellitus, risk factors, Yemen