Diabetic Foot: Epidemiology

Diabetes data:

According to estimates, in 2021 more than 500 million adults (especially 537 million) aged 20-79 had diabetes worldwide. This represents 10.5% of the world's population in this age group.

Diabetes mortality is also high. According to estimates, more than 6.7 million people aged 20 to 79 died in 2021 due to diabetes and complications associated with diabetes worldwide.

Diabetes is an important cause of blindness, kidney failure, myocardial infarction, stroke, and amputation of the lower limbs.

Diabetic foot disease is a serious complication of diabetes mellitus (DM), which affects 3-4% of people with this disease worldwide. The lifelong prevalence of an ulcer on the foot for a person with DM is between 19-34%. 70% of diabetic foot ulcers (PDUs) remain open after 20 weeks of treatment, and their prognosis is seriously affected by the presence of ischemia or infection.

The incidence of standing ulcers in people with diabetes was recently estimated at 25%; this implies a significant increase over 2003 where it was 15%. (Nalini Singh, David G. Amstrong, Benjamin A. Lipsky- Preventing Foot Ulcers in Patients with Diabetes. JAMA 2005 293, 217-228.)

Global prevalence of pathology “diabetic foot” varies between 1.3%-4,8%.

Every year approximately 4 million people with diabetes develop an ulcer, and these precede 85% of amputations.

The etiological factors of the diabetic ulcers are the neuropathy and arterial disease. Neuropathy alone in 46%, ischemia in 12% being the most common neuroischemic (60%) and no risk factor identified 12%. (5° International Consensus On The Diabetic Foot And Practical Guidelines On The Management And Prevention Of The Diabetic Foot. IDF-2007).

The data published so far clearly indicate that standing lesions in people with diabetes in developing countries tend to be predominantly neuropathic in their origin. Charcot Neuroartropathy has a prevalence of 1 in 680 diabetic patients.

The vascular disease Peripheral is 2 to 6 times more frequent in diabetics that in the general population and is responsible for 20% of the foot ulcer income.

A European study showed that 58 percent of patients who came to a foot clinic with a new ulcer had a clinically infected wound.

Also, according to a monocentric study EE.UU., andl 56 % of UPDs were clinically infected. This study also showed that the risk of hospitalization and amputation of a lower limb was between 56 and 155 times higher in diabetic patients with a foot infection, than for those who did not have it. (International Best Practice Guidelines: Wound Management in Diabetic Foot Ulcers. Wounds International, 2013).

It is estimated that about 85% of the diabetics who suffer amputations have previously suffered an ulcer.

One amputated patient has a risk of having a new amputation on the same side in 40% and the side against the side in 30% of cases followed during a period of 5 years.

The risk that a diabetic patient will suffer less and/or greater amputation in the lower extremity with respect to the non-diabetic population. Numerous studies say that the cumulative incidence of amputations in the population diagnosed by DM before 30 years and with an evolution of more than ten, exceeds 5% in type I DM and 7% in type II DM.

According to the prevalence data in Europe, it is estimated that the costs associated with UPD treatment could reach 10 billion euros per year.

Treatment of diabetic foot complications absorbs 15%-25% of the resources invested in attending to these patients. (WHO)

It is estimated that ebasic treatment and care of diabetes would prevent up to 80% of diabetic foot amputations. (WHO)

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Loss of sensitivity is the factor that predisposes you in the risk of the diabetic foot.

The most common factor that precipitates the ulcer is the trauma that causes a footwear.

Men's shoes with diabetic foot

Footwear for lady with diabetic foot

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