Objective To provide a clinical basis for the prevention of diabetic foot ulcers by analyzing the clinical data and prognosis of high-risk diabetic foot patients. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on high-risk diabetic foot patients who were hospitalized in West China Hospital of Sichuan University between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2018. Patients were divided into high-risk group and low-risk group according to whether they hada history of foot ulcer or amputation. The clinical characteristics of the two groups of patients were compared. The patients were followed up from hospital discharge to January 31, 2021, and their survival and ulcer recurrence or new-onset status were evaluated. Results Finally, 123 patients were included, including 29 patients in the high-risk group and 94 patients in the low-risk group. There was no statistical difference in the duration of diabetes, smoking history, drinking history, education level, proportion of receiving regular treatment, proportion of regular blood glucose monitoring, body mass index, proportion of diabetic peripheral neuropathy, callus, foot deformity, diabetic nephropathy, diabetic retinopathy, diabetic cardiac autonomic neuropathy, diabetic gastrointestinal autonomic neuropathy, hypertension, coronary heart disease and laboratory test results between the two groups (P>0.05). The proportion of women (51.7% vs. 29.8%), age [(69.8±10.3) vs. (64.4±11.3) years], proportion of lower extremity arterial disease (62.1% vs. 34.4%), proportion of hyperuricemia (27.6% vs. 10.6%) in the high-risk group were higher than the low-risk group (P<0.05). After follow-up (67±20) months, 25.8% of the patients had ulcer recurrence or new onset, and 24.2% of the patients died. The most common cause of death was diabetes complications (43.8%). The overall 1-, 3-, and 5-year cumulative mortality rates of the patients were 4.5%, 12.7%, and 20.6%, respectively. The 3- and 5-year recurrence or new ulcer rates were 8.3% and 18.2%, respectively. The 5-year recurrence or new ulcer rates in the low-risk group and high-risk group were 10.3% and 40.3%, respectively, and there was a difference in ulcer recurrence between the two groups (P=0.004). Conclusions Compared with high-risk diabetic foot patients without ulcer or amputation, patients with a history of ulcer or amputation have higher rates of lower extremity arterial disease and hyperuricemia. Patients with a history of ulceration or amputation have a higher risk of recurrent or new ulceration than patients without a history of ulceration or amputation.