PREVALENCE OF FOOT COMPLICATIONSAND FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH DIABETIC FOOT ULCER IN DIABETIC PATIENTS IN THE QASSIM REGION, SAUDI ARABIA.

Objectives: The main objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and factors influencing diabetic foot ulcers among diabetic patients, in the Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. Methodology: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the Qassim region, Saudi Arabia, between March 2016 and September 2016, involving 817 subjects. A simple random sampling was performed to identify two governmental hospitals in the Qassim region for this study: the King Fahd Specialist Hospital and the King Saud Hospital. All data were recorded and analyzed using SPSS 22, and p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The prevalence of diabetic foot ulcers in the Qassim region is 10.8%. There is an increased prevalence among female patients (12%) than among male patients (9. 6%).The prevalence of amputation of a toe, foot, or leg is 2.5%(21). The prevalence of peripheral neuropathy is 49.45%, and60% of patients with peripheral neuropathy are female, while 40% are male. The following were found to be the risk factors for developing diabetic foot ulcers: duration of DM; use of insulin; lack of school education; sore or cut involving the foot or leg and requiring >2 weeks to heal; paresthesia; use of moisturizing cream on the feet; and walking barefoot (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The prevalence of diabetic foot ulcers in the Qassim Regionis 10.8%, which is within the global prevalence range. The results of this study confirm that DM foot ulcers are caused by multiple factors.