Clinical characteristics and prognosis of the infections in patients with diabetic foot ulcer

Objective Clinical characteristics of the infection in diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) were analyzed in regard to the severity of infection and the related prognosis.Methods The data from 506 hospitalized patients with DFU were collected,the rates of healed ulcer,amputation,and mortality were followed for 1 year.These patients were divided into different groups according to the grades of ulcer and severity of infection.Statistics was made to find their clinical characteristics and association to outcomes.Results The rate of infection in patients with DFU was 95.8％.Within one year,80.6％ of patients had ulcers cured,23.3％ of them underwent amputation of toes or legs,and 8.1％ of them died.Elevated Wagner grade,severe infection,poorly controlled hyperglycemia and lipidemia,decreased serum proteins,and marked proteinuria led to worsened DFU and increased risk of amputation and death.The degree of ulcers,diabetic vascular complication,and aging were the main risk factors of amputation; in addition,abnormal white blood cell counts and lowered serum albumin were risk factors of fatality (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Diabetic foot infection is positively correlated with the grading of Wagner classification,and seriously affects the general condition and prognosis of patients,suggesting that more attention should be paid to the infection control. Key words: Diabetic foot ulcer;  Diabetic foot infection ;  Amputation ;  Mortality