Abstract
INTRODUCTION: There has been no epidemiological study of diabetes mellitus (DM) in Macao. Also, multidisciplinary treatment is yet to be popularized and complications of DM cannot be managed promptly in this region. Therefore, this study was performed to compare the clinical characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of diabetic foot disease between patients in Macao and Beijing. METHODS: A total of 243 patients with diabetic foot disease were enrolled: 124 from a tertiary hospital in Beijing and 119 from a tertiary hospital in Macao. The clinical profiles were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: The surgical treatment rate in the Beijing group (96.0%) was significantly higher than that in the Macao group (21.0%) (P < 0.05). The overall mortality rate was 14.8%, and cardiac failure was the most common cause (72.2%). Monthly household income and smoking were independent factors affecting the age of onset. Age of diabetes onset was a risk factor for the occurrence of diabetic foot disease; age, duration of diabetic foot disease, and length of smoking history were independent factors affecting the severity of diabetic foot disease. Renal dysfunction and activated partial thromboplastin time were independent factors affecting the survival time of patients with diabetic foot disease. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking may be a risk factor for the occurrence and development of diabetic foot; it can significantly reduce the onset age and aggravate the severity of this disease. The onset age of diabetic foot was lower in high-income patients, and prevention should be encouraged in this population. Elderly age may be associated with a rapidly developing and severe diabetic foot. The clinical course was also associated with the severity of diabetic foot. Renal and coagulation function should be closely monitored during the treatment of diabetic foot.