Diabetic foot ulcers are deadly according to a recent study from Norway. After adjusting for demographic and lifestyle factors, people with diabetes and a history of foot ulcers were 2.3 times more likely to die during follow-up than were non-diabetic subjects. Among those subjects with diabetes, foot ulcer history was associated with a 38% increased risk of death. The association between foot ulcer history and mortality did not change substantially after accounting for cardiovascular disease, microalbuminuria, or Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale depression scores, the researchers found. Click on the link to view the abstract in PubMed. Iversen MM, Tell GS, Riise T, Hanestad BR, Ostbye T, Graue M, Midthjell K, History of Foot Ulcer Increases Mortality Among Individuals With Diabetes: Ten-year follow-up of the Nord-Trondelag Health Study, Norway. Diabetes Care. 2009 Dec;32(12):2193-9. Epub 2009 Sep 3.

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