Plantar temperature and vibration perception in patients with diabetes: A cross-sectional study.

Diabetes mellitus has many microvascular and macrovascular complications. Diabetic foot is a major consequence of these complications. Foot ulcers are the leading cause of non-traumatic amputations and early diagnosis can prevent amputation. In this study, thermal foot images and biothesiometer values of 50 control subjects and 50 known diabetic subjects were analyzed. The thermal images were analyzed using a graphical interface-enabled program developed indigenously to identify possible hotspots (abnormal temperature variation). Data comparison was conducted based on the concept of asymmetry. Temperature and vibration perception values obtained at the same points on the left and the right feet were compared. The use of a combination of thermal images and vibration perception resulted in lower incidence of false positive results in the pre-evaluation of possible plantar lesions. Pearson's correlation test was performed to analyze the statistical significance of these factors. This study concluded that the classification of factors leading to pre-ulcerative lesions in the diabetic foot could be accomplished with a higher level of confidence by using multiparameter data rather than a single-variable predictive model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]