Diabetic foot ulcers in the Hong Kong Chinese population: retrospective study

HB Leung, YC Ho, J Carnett, PKW Lam, WC Wong
Department of Orthopaedic and Traumatology, Kwong Wah Hospital, 25 Waterloo Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong

OBJECTIVE. To assess the predictive power of various parameters on the final outcome of ulcerated diabetic feet among the Hong Kong Chinese population.

DESIGN. Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING. Regional public hospital, Hong Kong. Patients: Medical records of 340 diabetic patients with foot ulcers (535) who were referred to the Diabetic Foot Clinic between July 1995 and June 2000 were reviewed.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES. Demographic and clinical data, including assessment of the foot and blood parameters.

RESULTS. Increasing age, wound depth, the presence of ischaemia, a low albumin level, and the lack of simultaneous ulceration were determined by stepwise logistic regression analysis to be the most significant independent predictors of an unfavourable outcome.

CONCLUSIONS. Major amputation is more likely to occur in elderly patients, with progressive wound depth, and in the presence of ischaemia. A low albumin level was also noted to be an independent predictor of major amputation in the population studied.

Hong Kong Med J 2001;7:350-5

Key words: Amputation; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetic foot; Hong Kong; Prognosis