Investigation of the Risk of Diabetic Foot Ulcers and Affecting Factors in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Introduction: patients with diabetes are at risk of developing diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), which can lead to serious consequences such as the loss of a limb. This study investigated the DFU risk of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and to examine the factors affecting it. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted using patients aged 18 and over who had T2D for at least one year and without DFU. The Patient Information Form and the Turkish Version of the Brief Diabetic Foot Ulceration Risk Checklist (BDURC-TR) were used to obtain data. Anthropometric measurements, levels of glycosylated hemoglobin A1c, and fasting plasma glucose were recorded. Results: The total BDURC-TR score of the 150 participants was 1.81 +/- 1.42 and 11.3% (n=17) had a score of =4. The BDURC-TR score was statistically significantly =4 in those with known diabetes-related complications, those using combined diabetes treatment, those with long diabetes duration, and those with greater height (p<0.001; p=0.033; p=0.004; p=0.013, respectively). Although not significant according to the cut-off values, there was a statistically significant correlation between the BDURC-TR total score and age, weight, and waist circumference values (r=0.246, p=0.002; r=0.0163, p=0.046; r=0.182, p=0.026, respectively). The BDURC-TR total score was also higher in men and in those using additional drugs (p=0.037 and p=0.024). Conclusion: Our study showed that 11.3% of the patients with T2D had a high DFU risk. The presence of diabetes-related complications, combined diabetes treatment, a long duration of diabetes, and having greater height was high-risk factors for DFU.