According to a study that patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy or DPN who spend long periods of time sedentary may be at an increased risk of developing foot ulcer.
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| Photo: Foot Ulcer in Diabetic Patient | InStyleHealth |
Research looked at 175 DPN patients who participated
in the annual evaluation for the SAMBA Study from 2012 – 2019. The patients
completed the Physical Activity Scale v 2.1 questionnaire and underwent nerve
conduction tests. The vascular function was evaluated using the ankle-brachial index
or ABI and pedal pulses, while foot deformity and skin dryness were evaluated
by visual inspection.
There was a total of 62 patients or 35.5% developed a
diabetic foot ulcer or DFU during the research. Comparing it with controls who
did not develop ulcer, patients with DFU reported significantly longer sedentary
time with an average of 12.8 vs 9.4 hours/day.
Using the logistic regression analysis, it revealed that
sedentary time to be the strongest contributor to DFU risk. Other risk factors
included several nervous and vascular parameters, as well as foot characteristics.
Current data underscore the significance of monitoring
of sedentary behavior and developing strategies aimed at reducing it in the
standard care of diabetic patients.
Source: Diabetes Res Clin Pract2021;doi:10.1016/j.diabres.2021.108877