DIABETIC FOOT ULCERS;

Abstract

Objectives: To know the correlation of foot ulcers to the nutritional status oftype 2 Diabetic patients of Hyderabad. Study Design: Cross sectional study. Place of Study:Private clinics of consultants of Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan. Duration of study: February 2015to June 2016. Methodology: 387 diabetic type 2 patients were selected from different clinicsof physicians, orthopedics and diabetic consultants of sadder Hyderabad Sindh Pakistan. Themean age was 40±11.5 years. All patients were enrolled on prescribed proforma. Thoroughclinical examination was done. Wagner’s classification was used to categorize diabetic footulcers. Nutritional status was classified on Mini Nutritional Assessment score and patients weredivided into three groups according to Mini nutritional score. Blood samples were obtained forHemoglobin%, blood sugar, serum calcium and serum albumin estimation. All patients wereassessed radiologically by x-rays of involved foot. ANOVA test was used and p value <0.05was considered statically significant. Results: There was linear correlation in between Mininutritional assessment and severity of diabetic foot ulcer (p <0.03). Biochemical parameterwere also significantly associated with the severity of ulcers. Serum albumin was decreasedin grade 4 ulcer significantly (p value <0.04), while hemoglobin was also decreased in grade4 ulcer, p value (<0.05). There was no association of serum calcium to severity of foot ulcer,(p value >0.07). Conclusion: Diabetic foot ulcers are common in type 2 diabetic patients andnutritional status is strongly associated with grade of severity. It is important to assess nutritionalstatus of all diabetic patients.