Prognostic factors leading to delayed healing in diabetic foot ulcers: A Cox regression model

Rodriguez-Alonso D.; Reluz M.I.; Garcia A.C. · Bionatura (2023) · DOI: 10.21931/rb/2023.08.03.60

Resumen

To identify prognostic factors for delayed wound healing (DH) in diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) among patients followed for a minimum of 12 months in a diabetic foot unit. 113 DFUs were evaluated to identify DH-related epidemiological and clinical prognostic factors using a retrospective cohort design and a Cox regression model. The mean age was 61.73±11.78 years, with 64.6% being male. Disease duration of 10 years or more was present in 91.7% of cases, absence of comorbidity in 56.3%, history of previous ulcer in 52.1%, presence of peripheral neuropathy in 87.5%, and absence of peripheral arterial disease in 56.2%. Ninety-six DFUs were followed for a year, while the remaining 17 DFUs were excluded due to lack of follow-up. The frequency of delayed wound healing was 47.9%, and the average time for healing diabetic ulcers was 5.02±2.32 months. Significant predictive prognostic factors were history of previous DFU (p=0.03), presence of comorbidity (p=0.001), and ulcer area larger than 3 cm² (p=0.001). This study found that the three mentioned factors were prognostic indicators for delayed wound healing in DFUs among diabetic patients followed for a year, with the last one having the most significant magnitude.

Instituciones: Universidad César Vallejo