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Risk Factors for Foot Ulcers

Foot ulcers are most commonly associated with diabetes, and also are frequently seen in patients with chronic kidney disease. A complication with potentially severe consequences, foot ulcers may become gangrenous, requiring amputation of the foot and sometimes the lower leg. Risk factors are similar for both.

  1. Diabetic Risk Factors

    • According to an article in a 1998 issue of American Family Physician, the most common risk factors for ulcer formation in diabetic patients include diabetic neuropathy, structural foot deformity and peripheral arterial disease (PAD). PAD includes all disorders caused by blockages in the large arteries in the arms of legs.

    Similarities

    • A study published in a 2008 issue of Internal Medicine Journal (IMJ) found that participants with chronic kidney disease (CKD) without diabetes had no significant differences in risk factors than diabetic patients without CKD.

    Kidney Disease Risk Factors

    • In the IMJ study, the most common risk factors for foot ulcers in non-diabetic CKD patients were peripheral neuropathy and vascular insufficiency, as well as a combination of peripheral neuropathy and structural foot deformity.

    Comorbidity

    • Participants with both CKD and diabetes had the largest number of past and current foot ulcers, and the ulcers became more frequent as patients progressed to end-stage renal failure.

    Age Considerations

    • A study published in a 1996 issue of the Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care looked at 294 patients with leg and foot ulcers over a six-week period in Stockholm, Sweden. Age was a significant factor, with 92 percent older than 65, and a median age of about 79 years.

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