DIABETIC FOOT EXAM: RISK FACTORS OF ULCERATION IN PATIENTS WITH DIABETES MELLITUS.

Objective: to describe the evolution of risk factors for the development of foot ulcers in patients with DM, in three subsequent exams over a period of 3 years, in a medical specialty center. Method: a descriptive, retrospective and longitudinal study, with 102 patients, between the years 2016 and 2019, who performed three sequential foot exams, based on the standard established by the international consensus of the diabetic foot, being use of footwear, collected from the Diabetic Foot System. Results: 86.27% of patients reported neuropathic symptoms, mainly burning, numbness and tingling. Most were hypertensive (74.71%) and elderly (67.65%), of these, 13.73% had previous infarction and 72.55% were female. From the first to the third examination, the "very low risk" increased 7.84% and the "low risk" 8.83%, while the "high risk" reduced 17.65%. Conclusion: the systematic clinical feet exam, associated with effective educational strategies, results in a more effective control of the risk of ulceration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]