Examination of diabetic foot risk levels and risk factors of individuals with diabetes

In this study, it is aimed to examine diabetic foot risk levels and risk factors of individuals with diabetes. The study was designed as a descriptive and analytical study and 278 individuals with diabetes who applied to outpatient clinic of diabetes in Gaziantep Dr. Ersin Arslan Training and Research Hospital for education were included in this study. The ethics committee approval, institution permit and patient approvals required for the research have been obtained., İntroductory Specifications Form, Diabetic Foot Evaluation Form, Diabetic Foot Information Scale (DABÖ), Foot Care Behavior Scale (USÖ) and Diabetic Foot Care Self-Effectiveness Scale (DABÖ) forms were used to collect the data of the research executed between September 2020 and March 2021. Spss 15.0 package program was used in the statistical evaluation of the data. In the analysis of the data, the percentage distribution of numbers, chi square, Kolmogorov Simirnov, t, Mann Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis test, one-way variance analysis, and Spearman correlation analysis were used.The mean duration of diabetes of individuals with diabetes was 13.26±6.33 years, HbA1c mean value was 10.21±2.07 % ; 51.8% patients were male and 90.6% of patients had type 2 Diabetes. In our study, 36.3% of individuals with diabetes had moderate to high risk levels of diabetic foot development. Being male, 65 years of age and older ages, educational status, location, alcohol, foot examination status, foot care training, edema and warmth in physical examination, history of neuropathy, deformity, amputation and ulcers, hypertension, peripheral artery disease, use of inappropriate shoes were found to be statistically significant in terms of risk factor (p<0.001). Sequential regression analysis was performed for the identified risk factors. As a result of this analysis, variables such as ABI (β=-3.26), temperature (right) (β=2.38) ulcer history (β=-2.35), systolic blood pressure (β=-- 1.37), properly fitting shoe usage (β=-0.72), duration of diabetes (β=0.06) were found to have a high effect on the prediction of diabetic foot wound development. According to these results, it is important to perform foot examinations regularly and to determine the high-risk diabetic foot and follow it frequently in order to prevent organ loss of individuals with diabetes.