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A comparison of the health-related quality of life in patients with diabetic foot ulcers, with a diabetes group and a nondiabetes group from the general population

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Abstract

Objective:

The aim of this study was to describe health-related quality-of-life (HRQL) in patients with diabetic foot ulcers by comparing their HRQL with that of a sample from the general population without diabetes (general population) and a subgroup with diabetes (diabetes population), and to examine the differences between groups by sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle factors.

Design and methods:

A cross-sectional study was made of 127 adults with current diabetic foot ulcer, recruited from six hospital outpatient clinics, a control sample categorized as a diabetes population (n = 221) from the Norwegian Survey of Level of Living, and a sample from the general population (n = 5903). Data on sociodemographic characteristics (sex, age, cohabitation, education and employment) and lifestyle (body mass index [BMI] and smoking status) and HRQL (SF-36) were obtained.

Results:

In all the SF-36 subscales and in the two SF-36 summary scales, the patients with diabetic foot ulcer reported significantly poorer HRQL than the diabetes population. The most striking differences were for role limitation-physical (32.1 vs. 62.2, p < 0.001), physical functioning (57.5 vs. 77.3, p < 0.001) and role limitation-emotional (57.4 vs. 72.0, p < 0.001). The patients with foot ulcer had significantly lower HRQL than the general population on all scales, and in particular on role limitation-physical (32.1 vs. 74.3, p < 0.001), physical functioning (57.5 vs. 85.2, p < 0.001) and general health (50.1 vs. 74.3, p < 0.001). The most important sociodemographic characteristic that differed between the diabetic foot ulcer patients and the diabetes population was that significantly more of the foot ulcer patients were men living alone. The largest differences between the foot ulcer patients and the general population were that more of the foot ulcer patients were men, older, living alone, less well educated, and not working. The diabetic foot ulcer patients, the diabetes population and the general population differed in BMI: 28 kg/m2 in the foot ulcer patients, 27 kg/m2 in the diabetes population and 25 kg/m2 in the general population.

Conclusion:

Diabetic foot ulcer patients had much worse HRQL compared with the diabetes population and the general population, especially in physical health. Foot ulcer patients were more often men living alone, and obesity was a problem in both the foot ulcer patients and the diabetes population.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by Oslo University College, Oslo, Norway. The authors thank the patients, the diabetes nurses, and the hospitals, for making this study possible.

The data from the DP and the general population applied in this publication are based on the Survey of Level of Living 2002 in Norway. Deidentified data sets have been made available by the Norwegian Social Science Data Services (NSD). Statistics Norway (SSB) was responsible for sampling and␣interviewing. Neither NSD nor SSB are responsible for the analyses/interpretation of data presented here.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Nursing, Oslo University College, Oslo, Norway

    Lis Ribu & Tone Rustoen

  2. Department of Public Health and Primary Health Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

    Berit Rokne Hanestad

  3. Department of Behavioural Sciences in Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Torbjorn Moum

  4. Diabetes Research Center, Aker and Ullevaal University Hospital, Faculty Division Aker University Hospital, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Kåre Birkeland

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  1. Lis Ribu
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  2. Berit Rokne Hanestad
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Correspondence to Lis Ribu.

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Ribu, L., Hanestad, B.R., Moum, T. et al. A comparison of the health-related quality of life in patients with diabetic foot ulcers, with a diabetes group and a nondiabetes group from the general population. Qual Life Res 16, 179–189 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-006-0031-y

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