Risk factors for the recurrence of diabetic foot ulcers among diabetic patients: a meta-analysis

This study aimed to systematically review and identify the risk factors for the recurrence of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) among diabetic patients. PUBMED, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China Biology Medicine (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), WanFang, and VIP databases were electronically searched to identify eligible studies updated to January 2019 to collect case-control studies or cohort studies on the risk factors for the recurrence of DFUs. Two reviewers independently screened the literature, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias of included studies using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. A meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3. Nine retrospective cohort studies were included, in which 1426 patients were enrolled, 542 in the DFU recurrence group and 884 in the non-recurrent DFU group. Risk factors for the recurrence of DFUs included male gender (odds ratio [OR] = 1.38, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07-1.78, P < .05), smoking (OR = 1.66, 95% CI, 1.26-2.20, P = .0004), duration of diabetes (WMD = 4.43, 95% CI, 1.96‐6.90, P = .0004), duration of past DFUs (OR = 1.02, 95% CI, 1.00-1.03, P = .006), plantar ulcers (OR = 5.31, 95% CI, 4.93-5.72, P <.00001), peripheral artery disease (OR = 1.65, 95% CI, 1.20-2.28, P = .002), and diabetic peripheral neuropathy (OR = 2.15, 95% CI, 1.40-3.30, P = .0005). No significant differences were found in age, body mass index, total cholesterol, diabetic nephropathy, diabetic retinopathy, or hypertension. Health care staff should pay attention to the identified risk factors for the recurrence of DFUs. Because of the limited quality and quantity of the included studies, rigorous studies with adequate sample sizes are needed to verify the conclusion.