The Foot at Risk in Nigerians With Diabetes Mellitus-The Nigerian Scenario

Abstract

Results: The prevalence of DM patients with the foot at risk in this study (41.5%) was high. Of the 474 study subjects with the “foot at risk” for ulceration, 9(1.9%) had type 1 DM and 465 (98.1%) had type 2 DM. More than half of the patients were elderly (>61years) and either overweight or obese. The duration of diabetes and the mean fasting plasma glucose was higher in patients with type 1 DM but this difference was not statistically significant. In both types of diabetes, more than 50% of the subjects had poor glucose control. Conclusions: The 41.5% prevalence of the footat-risk for ulceration among Nigerian patients with diabetes mellitus is high. In a resource poor country like Nigeria, in order to prevent foot ulceration, preventive measures should be targeted mainly at the high risk group.