Podiatric Risk Assessment in Diabetic Patients at University Hospital Center of Point G

Introduction: Diabetes, a chronic pathology, is the source of many acute and chronic complications whose treatment requires many daily constraints that can have a serious impact on the quality of life of the patient and his family. The diabetic foot is a real public health problem which is still dominated by a very high lower limb amputation rate even in countries with high socioeconomic status. The diabetic foot classically results from the association of three entangled mechanisms which are neuropathy, arteriopathy and infection. Objectives: To determine the frequency of arterial disease, neuropathy, and other aggravating factors that influence the podiatry risk, and to proceed with the gradation of the podiatry risk. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study concerning the period from July 1 to October 31, 2017, covering all diabetic patients received in consultation and hospitalization in the Internal Medicine Department of the G-University Hospital Center. Results: Our study included 50 patients (35 women for 15 men) out of 95 diabetic patients receiving a frequency of 52.6%, with a sex ratio of 0.42. The average age of our patients was 54.38 ± 13.98 years. Overweight/obesity found in 44% of patients. The average Body Mass Index (BMI) of our patients was 27.16 kg/m2. Patients with diabetes less than 5 years old represented 56% with an average duration of 5.39 ± 5.34 years. The mode of discovery of diabetes was polyuria-polydipsia syndrome in 56% of cases. Type 2 diabetes represented 74% of patients. Among the patients who had performed the HbA1C test, 80.77% were not well balanced. The antecedent of macrosomia in women accounted for 77.1%. Patients who did not know foot hygiene recommendations accounted for 82%. Among the identified podiatry risk factors, diabetic neuropathy accounted for 73.8%, and arterial disease was 32.3%. Grade 1 patients in our study accounted for 52% (gradation of foot risk). Conclusion: The diabetic foot is a major public health problem because of its frequency, its direct and indirect cost, and its consequences on the life of diabetic subjects.