<p> <b style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Background: </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-align: justify; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Diabetic foot ulcers remain as a significant </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-align: justify; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">factor of mortality while </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-align: justify; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">having adverse effect on quality of life in patients.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:200%;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Methods: </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">A cross-sectional s</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">tudy was conducted at the Hand and Reconstructive Microsurgery Department in a Tertiary Care Hospital, Chennai. We used a proforma, consisting of socio-demographic variables, Wagner Ulcer Classification and WHOQOL-BERF, for data collection and </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">SPSS Version 20 for analysis.  <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:normal"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:200%"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Results: </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Respondents consisted of </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">118 DFU patients with type 2 DM of which 72% male and 27% female. About </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">51%were in Grade 3 of <span style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Wagner Ulcer Classification w</span>ith abscessed deep ulcers,</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> osteomyelitis, or joint sepsis. While a majority of male patients had poor QOL in the physical domain, a majority of female patients had poor QOL in the environment domain. Multiple regression analysis showed that higher g</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">rade of ulcer decreased the quality of life in presurgical patients with DFUs (p=0.000).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></b></p> <p><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Conclusion: </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">QOL in patients with DFUs can be increased by reporting to the surgical department at an early stage of the ulcer. </span></p>