Association of diabetic foot ulcer and death in a population‐based cohort from the United Kingdom

The presence of diabetic foot ulcers is strongly associated with an increased risk of death. In this study, we investigate whether the effects of diabetes-associated complications can explain the apparent relationship between diabetic foot ulcers and death.

We analysed data from 414 523 people with diabetes enrolled in practices associated with The Health Improvement Network in the United Kingdom. Our methods were designed to control for potential confounders in order to isolate the relationship between diabetic foot ulcers and death. Using proportional hazards models and the area under the receiver operator curve, we evaluated the effects of diabetic foot ulcers and the covariates on death.