In a new study, researchers found that patients with diabetes admitted to a tertiary care center for diabetic foot ulceration (DFU) during the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy had a more than threefold risk for amputation versus patients seen in 2019.
The research was conducted by a team from the University of Campania in Italy
The team checked clinical features and amputation risk among people with diabetes and DFU admitted to a tertiary care center during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 (63 patients) and compared findings with a population admitted in the first five months of 2019 (38 patients).
The researchers found no strong differences in clinical and biochemical measures, except for urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio, which was much higher in the 2020 group.
In the 2020 group versus the 2019 group, there was a much higher prevalence of gangrene (64 versus 29 percent) and a higher proportion of patients requiring amputation (60 versus 18 percent).
For the 2020 group, the relative risk for amputation was 3.26 versus the 2019 group, and this number dropped to 2.50 when adjusting for sex.
There were no differences seen in ulcer duration; prevalence rate of peripheral artery disease, neuropathy, and osteomyelitis; or the percentage of patients reporting a previous history of DFU.
The team says the higher risk of amputation observed during the COVID-19 lockdown confirms the need for proper and timely management of DFU patients to prevent dramatic outcomes responsible for a reduction of quality of life and increased morbidity and mortality.
One author of the study is Paola Caruso.
The study is published in Diabetes Care.
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