• Tesfatsion Mamo, Helen Yifter, and Teklu Lemessa.
• Ethiop. Med. J. 2015 Jul 1; Suppl 2: 45-9.

BackgroundDiabetic foot ulcer is one of the most feared and common complications of diabetes. It is a major cause of disability, morbidity and mortality among diabetic patients and about 15% develop foot ulcers in their lifetime. Annual foot exam in diabetic patients and education on foot care is a cost effective way of preventing foot ulcers and amputations.MethodsA hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital Diabetes Center on 200 participants using the 60 seconds diabetic foot ulcer screening tool from April to August 2014.ResultsA total of 200 patients were included in the study. The male to female ratio was 1 to 2.64 (55 to 145). The median age was 50 years (IQR, 39-59 years) and median duration of diabetes mellitus was 11 years (IQR, 6-11 years). Among the 200 patients, 169 (84.5%) had type 2 diabetes mellitus, whereas; 31(15.5%) had type 1 diabetes mellitus. Among the participants, only 9 (4.5%) had foot examination in the last 5 years. Thirty one (15.5%) participants had history of previous ulcer, 1 (0.5%) had history of amputation, 11 (5.5%) had deformity of shape and structure of the foot. Among the participants, 71 (35.5%) had at least one risk factor for the development of diabetic foot ulcer.ConclusionDiabetic foot problems are common among the diabetic patients examined at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital Diabetic Center. Screening for diabetic foot ulcer is a very easy practice which will take maximum of 60 seconds per patient. Despite this fact it is barely practiced for outpatients visiting the diabetic clinics. We stress the need for a clinical diagnosis of diabetic foot ulcers using the 60 seconds screening tool.

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