Abstract
The increasing incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) every year has resulted in multiple
complications of DM. Diabetic neuropathy is one of the most important complications;
it causes diabetic foot and leads to amputation of the legs. In a rural hospital, the
relationship between neuropathy and foot ulcer provides important information for the
development of a preventive foot-care program in a DM clinic. A retrospective study
was performed from medical records and diabetic foot evaluations from October 2005 to
September 2006; a total of 1,029 diabetic patients from Wichianburi Hospital, 247 from the Putaey primary care unit and 308 from the Kokeprong primary care unit, were studied.
Of the total, 31.51 percent were males and 68.49 percent females; 404 patients (24.72%)
had neuropathy, 60 patients (14.85%) in this group had foot ulcer, and 47 of them (3.82%)
had foot ulcer without neuropathy. The risk of foot ulcer in neuropathic patients was
almost eight-fold (7.92 times) greater than that of non-neuropathic patients. Seventynine
patients with foot ulcer had hyperglycemia; the mean blood glucose levels ranged
between 125 and 179 mg/dl, and blood glucose levels of more than 125 mg/dl were 4.39-
fold greater than the normal glucose level. Foot ulcer in diabetic patients was related to
neuropathy and blood glucose levels; thus well-controlled blood glucose and good foot
care in diabetic neuropathic patients is important in preventing foot ulcer.
