Review maps associations with a first diabetes-related foot ulcer
Observational studies linked a first foot ulcer in people with diabetes to several health and personal factors. The pooled estimates did not account for other factors, limiting interpretation of individual associations.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The review identified associations between a first diabetes-related foot ulcer and factors including longer diabetes duration, higher blood glucose, nerve disease and foot deformity. Its observational evidence describes patterns rather than causes. Because pooled estimates were unadjusted, the review cannot establish that any individual factor independently explains the occurrence of a first ulcer.
The pooled associations were unadjusted, meaning other measured differences were not accounted for in those estimates. The abstract also omits effect sizes and follow-up periods, preventing comparison of association strength or timing.
A specific ulcer history
The question concerned a person's first diabetes-related foot ulcer, rather than ulcer recurrence or wound healing. Reported associations spanned personal characteristics, blood measurements, other diseases and foot features, so they should not be treated as interchangeable predictors.
Treatment associations need care
Insulin use and blood-pressure medication use appeared among the associated factors. This does not show that either treatment caused ulcers. The review's unadjusted observational comparisons cannot separate treatment use from other differences between the people studied.
The original publication
Risk Factors for First-Ever Diabetes-Related Foot Ulcer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Yan T, Dou Z, Claire M et al.
Int Wound J · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40696867
- Record checked
AI-assisted research and writing. This explains one selected publication; it is not a complete review of everything known. Our approach.
One more question, understood.
Keep track of the research you’ve explored.