Factors associated with diabetic foot among type 2 diabetes in Northern area of Saudi Arabia: a descriptive study

OBJECTIVE: Foot complications are considered to be a devastating consequence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), posing a major medical and economic burden. A prospective study was conducted at researchers’ area “Northern area of Saudi Arabia” to determine the factors associated with diabetic foot (DF) among T2DM patients. Identifying the extent of this problem and the associated factors will enable the health providers to imply early preventive measurements. RESULTS: Two hundred T2DM patients with/without DF (n = 100 for each group) were recruited. In total, the mean (SD) age of participants was 56 (± 12.2) years and nearly 70% of the patients were females. They showed a trend for higher frequency of impaired vibration perception, light touch pressure, proprioception and pain sensation than males in T2DM with DF. In univariate analysis, older age, long duration of diabetes and poor glycemic control reflected in high levels of HbA1c were significant factors associated with DF (OR = 4.1, 95% CI 2.3–7.4, P < 0.0001; OR = 6.5, 95% CI (4.9–9.3), P < 0.0001, and OR = 1.1, 95% CI (1.05–1.3), P = 0.002, respectively). Taken together, the current results could highlight the importance of epidemiological studies to raise the awareness of this important health care problem around the country.