Diabetic Foot: Epidemiological and Clinical Aspects in the Department of Medicine and Endocrinology of the Hospital of Mali, Mali

Introduction: Diabetes is a heterogeneous group of metabolic diseases characterized by chronic hyperglycemia resulting from a defect in the secretion and/or action of insulin, diagnosed by the observation of high levels of glucose in the blood, responsible in the long term for vascular and nervous complications. The diabetic foot is the set of pathological manifestations affecting the foot in relation to the diabetic disease. Approximately 5% of diabetics present a chronic lesion of the foot. Objective: To describe the epidemiological and clinical aspects of the diabetic foot in the medicine/endocrinology department of the Mali hospital. Methodology: This was a retrospective descriptive study from November 2011 to December 2015. It focused on diabetic patients hospitalized in the department with a foot wound and aged 14 years and over. Results: The study involved 94 patients out of 828 hospitalized, a prevalence of 11.35%. Our series included 36 (38.3%) men and 58 (61.7%) women, i.e. a sex ratio of 0.61%. The mean age was 42.66 years with extremes of 14 and 81 years. Type 2 diabetes was present in 95% of the patients with a duration of evolution of more than 5 years in 60.6% of the cases. The mechanism of occurrence of the wounds was minor trauma in 54 cases (57.4%). Self-medication was the primary treatment in 70 patients (74.5%). More than 50% of the patients wore unsuitable footwear. Clinical and para-clinical examinations revealed isolated neuropathy in 37 cases (39.4%), necrotic wound in 37 cases (39.19%), poor glycemic control: HbA1c > 7% (98.9%), absence of osteitis (57.4%), normal Doppler ultrasound 45 cases (45.7%), stenosing arteriopathy 11 cases (22.3%), non-stenosing 3 cases (20.2%), germs present 56 cases (59.6%) including 21 cases (22.4%) of Staphylococcus aureus. Conclusion: Diabetes and diabetic foot constitute a real public health problem. They are responsible for dreadful and sometimes disabling complications. Its management is multidisciplinary and requires significant financial resources.