title: Impact of diabetic foot related complications on the Health Related Quality of Life (HRQol) of patients--a regional study in Spain.
abstract: The diabetic foot reduces the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with diabetes mellitus. This study aims at ascertaining the impact of the etiological factors of the diabetic foot on the various aspects of HRQoL. This is a comparative study involving type 1 or type 2 (n = 421) diabetic patients divided into 2 groups. Group 1 (n = 258) includes diabetic patients without foot lesions and group 2 (n = 163) includes patients suffering from a diabetic foot ulcer. The HRQoL of the sample was assessed by using the SF-36 Health Questionnaire. The overall HRQoL score was 68.58 ± 18.24 in group 1 and 50.99 ± 18.98 in group 2 (P < .001). The diabetic foot-related etiological factors that significantly reduce these patients' HRQoL are neuropathy, amputation history, and poor metabolic control (P < .001). Quality of life was lower in women with diabetic foot than in men. Neuropathy--regarded as the main etiological factor in the diabetic foot--also proved to be a variable that reduces the HRQoL. Paradoxically, peripheral vascular disease did not prove to have a negative impact on the quality of life.
authors: Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain. esthergarciamorales@yahoo.es
authors: E
authors: E
authors: García-Morales
authors: J L
authors: JL
authors: Lázaro-Martínez
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Martínez-Hernández
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Aragón-Sánchez
authors: J V
authors: JV
authors: Beneit-Montesinos
authors: M A
authors: MA
authors: González-Jurado
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001786:Blood Glucose; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000523:psychology*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D017719:Diabetic Foot / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin