People with diabetes could be saved from amputation

Tue, 17 Nov 2009
According to diabetes reports last week, as many as 100 people lose a limb through diabetes every week. Hundreds of thousands of people in the UK are at risk of blindness, heart disease and kidney failure due to fluctuating blood sugar control. Diabetes experts in the UK say that diabetes could be reduced if patients were seen at specialist centres.

Amputation often starts with foot ulcers, which result from damage to the nerves and a poor flow of blood. Both are common problems amongst people with diabetes . Even rubbing of a badly fitting shoe can cause ulcers which if left untreated can develop into sores. Up to 15 per cent of patients with foot ulcers require amputation, costing the NHS 252 million pounds per annum. Diabetes experts claim that as many as half of all diabetic amputations could be avoided if diabetic complications were treated in a whole systems, integrated approach. Some experts advocate rapid, aggressive treatment.

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