Comparative thermal map of the foot between patients with and without diabetes through the use of infrared thermography.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study is to analyze, through the use of infrared thermography, the variability of foot temperature in diabetic and non-diabetic patients by segmenting the sole of the foot in four study areas.

METHOD: A cross-sectional study was proposed on a sample of 479 subjects divided into two groups, a group of people with diabetes and a group of people without diabetes. The diabetes group comprised a total of 277 people, with an average age of 63.41 years, [138 men (49.8%) and 139 women (50.2%)], and the group without diabetes comprised 202 individuals, with an average age of 61.92 years, [99 men (49%) and 103 women (51%)]. The images were taken using the FLIR E60bx® camera. IBM SPSS Statistics 22 software was used for the statistical data analysis.

RESULTS: The results show temperature variability in the different areas of study of the sole of the foot bilaterally and there were also differences according to whether the patient belonged to the diabetic or the non-diabetic group.

CONCLUSIONS: The use of infrared thermography in the evaluation of the foot at risk could demonstrate the variability of temperature by study area, which could be useful in the area of healthcare for the diagnosis and prevention of injuries to compromised areas of the foot.