Prevalence of diabetic foot ulceration and associated risk factors: an old and still major public health problem in Khartoum, Sudan?

Background: Diabetic foot ulceration (DFU) is a major health problem across the globe. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of DFU and its associated risk factors in Sudanese individuals with diabetes.

Methods: Three hundred and ten individuals with type 2 diabetes, who have been on treatment for DM for at least 1 year and volunteered to participate, were enrolled in this study. Participants were interviewed using standardized pretested questionnaire to record medical history, socio-demographic, life style characteristics and presence of DFU.

Results: The prevalence of DFU was found to be 18.1% in this cohort (95% CI: 13.78-22.34%). Among different metabolic variants like hypertension, albuminuria, retinopathy, neuropathy, HbA1c, cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglyceride, only duration of diabetes was significantly associated with DFU (P<0.0018) as shown by logistic regression statistical analysis. Even after adjusting for all other potential risk factors, living with diabetes for more than 10 years is associated with an increase in the diabetic foot probability by 3.16 folds (95% CI: 052-10.48 folds increase), P=0.006. The adjusted effect for living with diabetes for more than 20 years on the diabetic foot complication probability is an increase by 1.73 folds (95% CI: 0.39-4.37 folds increase), P=0.005. However, living with diabetes for more than 5 years had a non-significant adjusted effect on diabetic foot probability.

Conclusions: Prevalence of diabetic foot ulcer was 18.1% and the risk of development of diabetic foot ulcer is increased with duration of diabetes more than 10 years.