Patients with diabetic kidney disease are almost three times more likely to develop foot ulcers than those without renal complications, but only in the presence of albuminuria, new research shows.  

The single-centre French study suggests that among these patients an abnormal albumin excretion rate is a better predictor of diabetic foot ulcers than neuropathy, retinopathy or peripheral arterial disease, say the authors from the University Hospital of Bordeaux. 

The team of endocrinologists assessed 520 adults with type 2 diabetes (mean age 62) admitted to their ward from 2007-17 to assess the likelihood of foot ulcers in those with and without diabetic kidney disease (DKD).  

Almost half were diagnosed with DKD, and a total of 57 new foot ulcers were reported during an average 4.5 years’ follow-up.