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Mortality associated with acute Charcot foot and neuropathic foot ulceration

Juliette van Baal1, Richard Hubbard, Fran Game

  • 1Foot Ulcer Trials Unit, Nottingham University Hospitals Trust, City Hospital Campus, Nottingham, UK.

Diabetes Care
|February 27, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Patients with acute Charcot foot and uninfected neuropathic foot ulcers (NFUs) face unexpectedly high mortality rates. Survival is significantly reduced compared to the general UK population, highlighting a critical public health concern.

Area of Science:

  • Diabetology
  • Podiatry
  • Public Health

Background:

  • The Charcot foot is a serious complication of diabetic neuropathy.
  • Neuropathic foot ulcers (NFUs) are common in diabetic patients.
  • Mortality associated with these conditions requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare mortality rates between patients with acute Charcot foot and a matched cohort with uninfected neuropathic foot ulcers (NFUs).
  • To assess long-term survival of these patient groups against normative UK population data.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective data extraction from a specialist database and hospital records.
  • Matched cohort study comparing acute Charcot foot patients with uninfected NFUs.
  • Comparison of survival data with UK population mortality statistics.

Main Results:

  • No significant difference in survival was observed between acute Charcot foot patients and the NFU control group.
  • Median survival for acute Charcot foot patients (1980-2007) was 7.88 years, not significantly different from NFU controls (8.43 years).
  • Both groups experienced a reduced life expectancy of approximately 14 years compared to the general UK population.

Conclusions:

  • Mortality in patients with acute Charcot foot and uninfected neuropathic foot ulcers is unexpectedly high.
  • These conditions significantly impact long-term survival.
  • Further research into risk factors and interventions is warranted.
Abstract

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