Prevalence of diabetic foot in a group of elderly users of primary health care

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of diabetic foot among users diagnosed with type I or II diabetes mellitus, attended by the Basic Health Unit Jardim Clipper, in the year 2022. Method: Epidemiological, descriptive, and cross-sectional study. All data were obtained from the medical records of patients attended by the Basic Health Unit Jardim Clipper, in the year 2022, located in the municipality of São Paulo, SP, Brazil. The sample consisted of 139 people diagnosed with type I and II diabetes mellitus. Inclusion criteria were all evaluations of diabetic foot in people attended by the unit, and exclusion criteria were evaluations with incomplete data. Result: Through the neuropathic symptoms score, it was possible to observe that 87 (62.59%) people had some neuropathic impairment, with 43 (30.94%) showing absence of vibratory sensitivity and 18 (12.95%) showing absence of the posterior tibial pulse. Thus, the combination of scores allowed diagnosing that 71 (52.25%) of the people had a prevalence of diabetic foot. Of the 139 people surveyed, 58.27% are female (n=81) and 41.73% are male (n=58); the average age found was 65.5 with a standard deviation of 10.5, with a minimum age of 23 years and a maximum of 92 years. 95% of the research subjects were diagnosed with type II diabetes, and 65% of the research subjects did not receive any type of foot care guidance. Conclusion: Diabetic foot was more prevalent in females, aged over 60 years, with type II diabetes. The results presented in this research, although with some methodological limitations, point to the need to readjust actions and control measures for people followed in primary care, especially in health promotion and prevention of diabetes complications.