Delay between Onset of Symptoms and Seeking Physician Intervention Increases Risk of Diabetic Foot Complications: Results of a Cross-Sectional Population-Based Survey

Table 1

Demographic characteristics and history of self-reported neuropathy, foot ulcers, gangrene, and amputations according to the time interval between symptoms of diabetes/its complication onset and physician visit for those symptoms.

		⁢Time between symptom onset and physician visit for those symptoms					Total; = 17,530
		<1 month; = 4,401	1–6 months; = 7,023	6–12 months; = 3,309	1-2 years; = 1,558	>2 years; = 1,239
Women, (%)	17,490	2,274 (51.8)	3,700 (52.8)	1,789 (54.2)	833 (53.6)	678 (54.8)	9,274 (53.0)	0.18
Age, years; Mean ± SD	17,530							<0.001
Diabetes with self-reported neuropathy, (%)	16,928	2,568 (60.7)	4,370 (64.7)	2,360 (72.9)	1,202 (78.9)	934 (78.8)	11,434 (67.5)	<0.001
Diabetes with history of foot ulcers, (%)	17,242	382 (8.8)	853 (12.4)	526 (16.0)	308 (20.0)	328 (27.0)	2397 (13.9)	<0.001
Diabetes with history of gangrene, (%)	17,240	135 (3.1)	266 (3.9)	148 (4.5)	93 (6.1)	105 (8.6)	747 (4.3)	<0.001
Diabetes with history of amputations, (%)	1,7251	110 (2.5)	199 (2.9)	120 (3.7)	70 (4.6)	74 (6.1)	573 (3.3)	<0.001

= number of patients in given category; = number of patients with available responses to a given question; (%) = number (percentage); SD = standard deviation.