DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2014.v02i06.094

Pages: 3331-3336

Diabetes mellitus predisposes to infection. Clinical data on the infections in diabetes mellitus patients from rural areas of India are lacking. We intended to determine the clinical profile and pattern of infections in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus from rural area. In this retrospective study case records of 842 patients with diabetes mellitus admitted in last four years were reviewed. Out of these 842 patients 254 had infections. There was effect of age, sex, duration of diabetes, type of treatment on infections in diabetic patients. Maximum number of patients belonged to lower socioeconomic status. The commonest comorbidity was hypertension (62.99%).Common infections encountered were upper respiratory tract infection (29.13%), urinary tract infection (26.77%), Lower respiratory tract infection (15.74%), Tuberculosis (11.81%), Skin and soft tissue infections (11.02%) and Foot infections (8.66%). Eschericia coli and Candida albicans were the common causative organisms of urinary tract infection. Staphylococcus aureus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis were the most common microorganisms causing respiratory tract infections. Physicians should be aware of risk factors and type of infections present in patients with diabetes in order to provide proper care. Prospective studies on the management of infections in patients with diabetes mellitus are needed.