Table 1.
Baseline clinical and diabetic foot ulcers’ characteristics of all sample, early reffereral and late referral groups
| Variables | All sample (n = 200) | Early referral (n = 159) | Late referral (n = 41) | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 70 ± 13 | 71 ± 13 | 66 ± 13 | 0.03 |
| Sex (male) (n) (%) | 125 (62.5) | 98 (61.6) | 27 (63.4) | 0.7 |
| Diabetes (type 2) (n) (%) | 182 (91) | 149 (93.7) | 33 (80.5) | 0.04 |
| Diabetes duration (years) | 18 ± 11 | 17 ± 8 | 23 ± 17 | 0.003 |
| HbA1c (mmol/mol) (%) | 60 ± 10 (7.6 ± 3.3) | 58 ± 9 (7.5 ± 3.2) | 62 ± 18 (7.8 ± 3.8) | 0.08 |
| ESRD (n) (%) | 25 (12.5) | 14 (8.8) | 11 (26.8%) | 0.004 |
| IHD (n) (%) | 78 (39) | 58 (36.5) | 20 (48.8) | 0.1 |
| Hypertension (n) (%) | 193 (96.5) | 154 (96.9) | 39 (95.1) | 0.6 |
| Dyslipidemia (n) (%) | 158 (79) | 120 (70.5) | 38 (92.7) | 0.008 |
| COPD (n) (%) | 26 (13) | 19 (11.9) | 7 (17.1) | 0.4 |
| CVD (n) (%) | 36 (18) | 28 (17.6) | 8 (19.5%) | 0.7 |
| Ulcer severity | ||||
| Uncomplicated DFU | (10.5) | 21 (13.2) | 0 (0) | < 0.0001 |
| Complicated DFU | (61.5) | 106 (66.7) | 17 (41.5) | |
| Severely complicated | (28) | 32 (20.1) | 24 (58.5) | |
| Ischaemia | 111 (55.5) | 80 (50.3) | 31 (75.6) | 0.002 |
| Infection | 135 (67.5) | 103 (64.8) | 32 (78) | 0.07 |
| Deep to the bone | 119 (61) | 88 (55.3) | 31 (75.6) | 0.009 |
| Dimension (> 5 cm2) | 127 (63.5) | 91 (57.2) | 36 (90) | 0.003 |
| Gangrene | 85 (42.5) | 52 (37.7) | 33 (80.5) | < 0.0001 |
HbA1c hemoglobin A1c; ESRD end-stage-renal-disease; IHD ischaemic heart disease; COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; CVD cerebrovascular disease; DFU diabetic foot ulcer