People with diabetes who develop foot ulcers may be more likely to die young, a study has found.
Researchers at St George's, University of London studied 17,830 people with diabetes, 3,095 of whom had been diagnosed with foot ulcers.
Publishing their findings in the journal Diabetologia, they revealed that those with ulceration had a higher death rate than those without.
For every 1,000 people per year with diabetic foot ulcers, there were an extra 58 deaths, many of which were from cardiovascular causes.
The discovery highlights the importance of early detection and effective management of patients with diabetes and foot ulcers, which can occur as a result of poor circulation and nerve damage in these individuals.
Bridget Turner, director of policy and care improvement at Diabetes UK, revealed that people with diabetes are more likely to be admitted to hospital with foot ulcers than with any other complication.
'Everyone should have swift access to multidisciplinary foot care teams, which have been shown to significantly reduce levels of risk,' she insisted.