Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Regarding Foot Care among Diabetic Patients Who Visited Health Centres in Khartoum State, Sudan, 2018

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder that is characterized by chronic hyperglycaemia. Symptoms and signs of DM are weight loss, increase urination (polyuria), increase thirst (polydipsia), increase hunger (polyphagia).There are many types of diabetes like gestational DM, DM type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes. If diabetic patients don’t control glucose level by treatment and routine visit to doctor, they will develop serious complications such as retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease and peripheral vascular disease. These complications have negative impact on the quality of life, psychological wellbeing, social functioning, and employment of diabetic patients and cost of treatment. Diabetic neuropathy receives special attention because it leads to diabetic foot ulcer (DFU). DFU should be managed by multidisciplinary team. Good patient’s education and self-care decrease amputation. Foot care (FC) is a key issue to prevent DFU. Patients awareness about proper FC (primary prevention) method like education play a key role in management from diabetes to minimize or control diabetes related foot complication (amputation).In Sudan, there are increase in prevalence of DM and DFU in last years although there are improve in awareness of population in DM but it may be problem in education level or socioeconomic status or other reasons lead to create this gap between knowledge, attitude and practice. FC received little attention from medical doctors who are concentrating on therapeutic and diagnostic measures more than education of patients and preventive aspects .The aim of this study was to assess knowledge, attitude and practice regarding foot care among Sudanese diabetic patients in Khartoum state.

Author(s): Alafraa Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed

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