DIABETES MELLITUS AND DIABETIC FOOT IN INPATIENTS STUDY: DATA FROM ARGENTINA

Introduction: diabetic foot is a chronic complication that occurs in 15% to 25% of diabetic patients. Once it appears, a multidisciplinary team shoud be necessary to care for that patients. Patients suffering from diabetic foot often requires treatment as inpatients. In this context, knowlege about information related to the hospitalization of diabetic foot is very important in making decisions about public health, related to prevention and treatment. Objectives: the purpose of this study was to determinate the prevalence of diabetes and the rate of diabetic foot among inpatients. Materials and methods: a total of 6,776 inpatients were studied in 104 Argentine institutions. The study was conducted during a day chosen by each institution within a period of two months (September and October 2017). Results: the prevalence of diabetes mellitus was 17.86%, while the rate of diabetic foot was 14.11%. The rate of diabetic foot classified as Wagner >=1 was 4.47%. Diabetic foot was the reason for admission in 3.16% of inpatients and 17.85% of diabetic inpatients. Conclusions: in our knowledge, this is the largest study in Argentina and lays the foundation for further investigation in this topic.