Clinical factors affecting minor amputation in diabetic foot diseases at Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital, Kuantan

Diabetic foot disease poses a substantial problem in Malaysian diabetic population. We evaluate the clinical factors affecting minor amputation in diabetic foot disease. A cross-sectional study enrolling patients admitted to orthopaedic wards of a single tertiary hospital for diabetic foot disease was conducted. Patients who had undergone major amputation or with medical condition above the ankle joint were not included. Clinical data were collected by measurement of ankle brachial systolic index and Semmes-Weinstein 5.07 gauge monofilament test with foot clinical evaluation using King’s classification respectively. The total number of patients included was 138, with mean age of 59.7 years (range 29 to 94 years old). Fifty patients (36.2%) had minor amputations. Poor compliance to diabetic treatment, King’s classification stage 5, low measures of ankle brachial systolic index, sensory neuropathy, high serum C-Reactive protein and high serum creatinine are significant predictive factors for minor amputation (P < 0.05). Identifying these risk factors may help in prevention of minor amputation and subsequently reduce limb loss in diabetic foot

Clinical factors affecting minor amputation in diabetic foot disease at Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital, Kuantan

Lower extremity amputation is a known complication of diabetic foot problem. In Singapore, Nather (2007) reported major amputation for diabetic foot problem was 27.2%, which is 20.3% BKA and 6.9% AKA. In Malaysia, Harwant (2000) reported 20% of diabetic foot patients in Kuala Lumpur Hospital had major amputation and higher prevalence of minor amputation about 31.7%. Minor amputation or limb salvage have better functional outcome. However, only few data available describing minor amputation and associated risk factors

Physical and Mental Health Problems of the Elderly in a Rural Community of Sepang, Selangor

The prevalence of aging population is increasing not only in developed countries, but also in developing countries like Malaysia. The aim of this study was: (1) to determine the prevalence of physical and mental health problems, and (2) to determine the association of these health problems with socio demographic factors among the elderly in a rural community in Sepang, Selangor. A cross sectional study design was used. Five out of nine villages were selected via random sampling. The elderly in the selected villages were interviewed using a pre-tested structured questionnaire which included the GDS-30, ECAQ and Barthel Index. Out of 263 elderly residents (6.2% of the total population), 223 agreed to participate in the study giving a response rate of 84.8%. The mean age of the respondents was 69.7 ± 6.8 years with a median of 68 years. The prevalence of physical health problems such as chronic illness and functional dependence were 60.1% and 15.7%, respectively. While the prevalence of mental health problems such as depression and cognitive impairment were 7.6% and 22.4%, respectively. Among the health problems studied, depression was found to be significantly associated with unemployment (p<0.05), where as cognitive impairment was significantly associated with age, gender, ethnicity, marital status and level of education (p<0.05)