Frequency and Severity of Three Diabetic Foot Ulcer Types Utilizing Ten Points Scoring Scale- A Study from a Tertiary Care Hospital of Islamabad

Abstract

Objective: The present study aimed to assess the prevalence of various types of foot ulcers among diabetic patients and their association with age and gender.

Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the Medicine Department of Pakistan  July to December 2019. A total of 133 diabetic patients presenting at the study site for foot ulcer treatment were recruited. The foot ulcers were classified as neuropathic, ischemic ulcer, or neuroischemic, and the severity/degree of the ulcer was determined using an internally developed ten points scoring system. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 22.0.

Results: There was a high prevalence of neuropathic ulcers (69.2%) among the enrolled diabetic patients, followed by ischemic ulcer (33.1%) and neuroischemic (24.8%). The mean neuropathic scores were significantly high among males (4.84 ± 2.09) than females (4.02 ± 1.78) (p=0.02). It was also higher in those aged 50 years or greater (4.76 ± 1.91) as compared to those with less than 50 years of age (3.79 ± 2.24) (p=0.036).

Conclusion: The most prevalent type of diabetic foot ulcer was the neuropathic type. Increased severity of these foot ulcers was observed with advancing age.