Sedentary behaviour predicts diabetic foot ulcer risk in DPN patients

Patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) who spend long periods of time sedentary may be at an increased risk of developing foot ulcer, according to a study.

The study looked at 175 DPN patients who participated in the annual evaluation for the SAMBA Study (2012-2019). All patients completed the Physical Activity Scale (version 2.1) questionnaire and underwent nerve conduction tests. Vascular function was evaluated using ankle-brachial index (ABI) and pedal pulses, while foot deformity and skin dryness were examined by visual inspection.

A total of 62 patients (35.5 percent) developed a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) during the study. Compared with controls who did not develop ulcer, patients with DFU reported significantly longer sedentary time (mean, 12.8 vs 9.4 h/day).

Logistic regression analysis showed sedentary time to be the strongest contributor to DFU risk (odds ratio [OR], 2.95, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.45–6.44). Other risk factors included several nervous (motor amplitude: OR, 0.33, 95 percent CI, 0.18–0.60; sensory amplitude: OR, 0.85, 95 percent CI, 0.77–0.94) and vascular (ABI: OR, 0.23, 95 percent CI, 0.1–0.61) parameters, as well as foot characteristics (deformity: OR, 2.63, 95 percent CI, 1.30–5.32; skin dryness: OR, 2.04, 95 percent CI, 0.95–4.37).

The present data underscore the importance of monitoring of sedentary behaviour and developing strategies aimed at reducing it in the standard care of diabetic patients.