Huan Lia*, Yu-Quan Lv, Yue-Min Zhou, Ruo-Xuan Liu, Jia-Qi Wu, Yong-En Liu and Dong-Ping M
Aim: To determine the rate and predictors of mortality in patients with type 2 diabetic foot ulcer (T2DFU) followed-up
as inpatients in a grade 3A hospital.
Methods: This retrospective cohort study included Han Chinese inpatients aged at least 20 years who were diag-
nosed with T2DFU between September 2009 and November 2019. Of 431 eligible patients, 309 (168 men; 141
women) were included and completed the study (response rate: 71.7%).
Results: Of the 309 patients followed-up for a total of 948.7 person-years, 147 died, resulting in a mortality rate of
15.5 per 100 person-years. The cumulative mortality rate was 47.6% over a median follow-up period of 2.7 years
(25th-75th percentile=1.2-4.4 years). Advanced age (adjusted hazard ration [HR]=1.80, 95% confidence Interval
[CI]=1.28-2.54; P=0.001), Wagner grade ≥ 4 (adjusted HR=2.56, 95% CI=1.81-3.63; P<0.001), cardiovascular disease
(CVD; adjusted HR=1.92, 95% CI=1.33-2.77; P=0.001), and diabetic nephropathy (adjusted HR=1.68, 95% CI=1.18-
2.39; P=0.004) were identified as positive independent predictors of mortality.
Conclusion: Patients with T2DFU had a high mortality rate. Age, Wagner grade, CVD, and diabetic nephropathy, but
not peripheral neuropathy, were associated with an increased risk of early death; these results should be considered
in efforts to reduce the mortality rate associated with T2DFU.
Published Date: 2023-10-09; Received Date: 2023-09-11
