Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Community Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia
  • 2 Non-Communicable Disease Unit, Disease Control Division, Kelantan State Health Department, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Mahmood, Kota Bharu 15200, Kelantan, Malaysia
Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2022 Oct 31;19(21).
PMID: 36361092 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192114212

Abstract

Lower limb amputation (LLA) is a common complication of diabetic foot ulcer (DFU), which can lead to a higher 5-year mortality rate compared to all cancers combined. This study aimed to determine the prognostic factors of LLA among DFU patients in Kelantan from 2014 to 2018. A population-based study was conducted using secondary data obtained from the National Diabetic Registry (NDR). There were 362 cases that fulfilled the study criteria and were further analysed. The prognostic factors were determined by Multiple Cox Proportional Hazards Regression. There were 66 (18.2%) DFU patients who underwent LLA in this study, while 296 (81.8%) were censored. The results revealed that the factor leading to a higher risk of LLA was abnormal HDL-cholesterol levels (Adj. HR 2.18; 95% CI: 1.21, 3.92). Factors that led to a lower risk of LLA include DFU in patients aged 60 or more (Adj. HR 0.48; 95% CI: 0.27, 0.89) and obesity (Adj. HR 0.45; 95% CI: 0.22, 0.89). In conclusion, our model showed that abnormal HDL cholesterol was associated with a 2 times higher risk of LLA when adjusted for age and BMI. Any paradoxical phenomena should be addressed carefully to avoid wrong clinical decision making that can harm the patient.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.