An exploration of the relationship between foot skin temperature and blood flow in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients: a cross-sectional study.
Uraiwan Chatchawan, Patsakorn Narkto, Tanchanok Damri and 1 others
PMID 30464365WHAT IT FOUND
In type 2 diabetes, foot skin temperature was associated with an ankle-to-arm pressure index.
People with diabetic neuropathy had cooler feet and lower index values, so foot temperature may help flag circulation risk.
Key findings
01In 85 patients, foot skin temperature was positively related to ankle brachial index (r=0.58 right foot, r=0.57 left foot).
02Foot temperature measurements were highly reproducible (ICC at least 0.90).
03Patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy had lower foot temperature and lower ankle brachial index than patients without neuropathy, and the differences were large.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
This was a cross-sectional association study, so it cannot show that foot temperature predicts circulation problems or diabetic foot risk over time. It included only people with type 2 diabetes and no healthy comparison group. People with active foot complications, numbness, or neurological weakness were excluded, so findings may not apply to higher-risk diabetic feet. Confounding factors such as diabetes foot problems and daily physical activity were not considered. The paper's text and tables disagree on the number of participants in the neuropathy group. Most ABI values were in the normal range, so the study may not reflect patients with more severe peripheral vascular disease.
Declared interests
A research centre at Khon Kaen University funded the work; the authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read foot skin temperature as a validated test for diabetic foot risk. This was a cross-sectional association in patients without active foot complications, and the study did not show that temperature predicts ulcers or vascular disease.