Diabetes Mellitus Foot Ulcer and Associated Factors Among Type 2 Diabetes Patients in a Tertiary Institution in Southwest Nigeria

AIM: This study aims to assess the proportion of diabetic foot ulcer (DMFU) and associated factors among patients with type 2 diabetes in a tertiary hospital in Southwest Nigeria. METHODS: A pretested semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire adapted from the STEPwise Approach to Surveillance of Noncommunicable Disease Risk Factors of WHO.14 was used for data collection from a sample of 181 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Sociodemographic, behavioral, clinical, and laboratory variables were collated from the participants. Chi-square test and logistic regression were used to identify the predictors of DMFU. RESULTS: A total of 166 patients had their questionnaires completed. The mean age (standard deviation) of the respondents was 62.6 (14.3) years. The proportion of DMFU was 18.7%. More than two-third (71.1%) of our respondents had clinical symptoms suggestive of peripheral neuropathy while 34.3% of the patients seen in the study had evidence of peripheral vascular disease on duplex Doppler ultrasound. Male patients were about five times more likely to have DMFU than female patients (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] =5.27; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.001–27.841). Those with duration of diabetes ≥10 years were more likely to have DMFU than those with disease duration <10 years (AOR = 15.47; 95% CI = 1.201–199.314). Patients with fasting blood glucose (FBG) of ≥ 7.2 mmol/L were about four times more likely to have DMFU than those with FBG of <7.2 mmol/L (AOR = 4.19; 95% CI = 1.618–18.463). CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of DMFU was 18.7%, and the predictors identified included sex, duration of disease, and FBG level.