DOI: 10.21276/sasjs.2018.4.2.4

Pages: 43-48

Diabetes is one of the most common metabolic diseases, and statistical disparities are decreasing between Northern countries and sub-Saharan Africa. This disease is grafted with 10 to 15% of tissue complications that can result in amputations of limbs. The objective of our work was to quantitatively evaluate amputations and disarticulations over a period of 9 years. This is a retrospective study resulting from the exploitation of the registers and medical files of 4 departments of the Regional Hospital of Saint-Louis, over a period of 9 years. We selected 1308 patient files for inclusion in the study. We found a high prevalence for gangrenes (61.1%) and chronic skin ulcers (19.2%). Diabetes was inaugural in 13.6% of surgical complications. Lower limb involvement was predominant (75.1%). A total of 778 amputations and disarticulations were performed over a period of 9 years. Amputations and disarticulations predominated (Fig. 3) on legs (59.4%), thighs (22%) and forefeet (12%). The surgical complications of diabetes that attack the soft tissues are bad. They are the main cause of limb amputation in diabetics. Mutilating surgery can be prevented by better sensitization and rapid management of diabetes.