Diabetes News
Foot complications from diabetes have a significant negative impact on the health related quality of life of diabetic patients, according to a multi-center study.
July 15, 2005 (Newswise) — Foot complications from diabetes have a significant negative impact on the health related quality of life of diabetic patients, according to a multi-center study reported here today at the annual meeting of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society.
The study utilized a new outcomes instrument developed to measure the impact of foot complications resulting from diabetes. “We designed the questionnaire specifically to measure the impact of disease on the quality of life of diabetic patients and to objectively measure the response to treatment,” said Michael Pinzur, M.D., an orthopaedic surgeon at Loyola University, Chicago, IL. “The results have allowed us to develop a valuable tool to measure the implications of foot disease on the diabetic population and a scientific method to obtain information on how the disease impacts their lives.”
The prevalence of diabetes and its complications is increasing exponentially. Foot complications due to diabetes are a major cause of hospitalization and frequently lead to foot amputations (one half of all non-traumatic foot amputations in the U.S. are due to diabetes complications).
In the study, 87 patients with a diagnosis of Charcot arthopathy (a degenerative change of the foot bones due to loss of foot sensation) were administered a patient self-report. Supervising physicians completed an accompanying clinical survey. The self-report and clinical survey were administered in four study centers at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA; Tufts University, Boston, MA; Loyola University, Chicago, IL; and the University of Rochester, Rochester, NY. Patients were studied at six months, one year and two years. The results showed a statistically significant negative impact on health related quality of life of the individuals studied. Dr. Pinzur noted that studies need to be done with larger groups of patients to fully understand the impact.
The other authors of the study were Vibhu Dhawan, M.B.B.S., Iowa City, IA; Kevin Spratt, Ph.D., Dartmouth, New Hampshire; Judith Baumhauer, M.D., Rochester, NY; and Charles Saltzman, M.D., University of Iowa.
The AOFAS is the leading professional organization for orthopaedic surgeons specializing in disorders of the foot and ankle. Orthopaedic surgeons are medical doctors with extensive training in the diagnosis and treatment of the musculoskeletal system that includes bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves.
The AOFAS Annual Summer Meeting is being held July 15-17, at the Westin, Copley Place, Boston.