Diabetes UK has launched its Putting Feet First Campaign, aiming to cut the number of amputations among diabetes patients. Complicated related to diabetes lead to the amputation of a lower limb every 30 seconds worldwide, where around 366 million have the chronic disorder of the metabolism.
While people with diabetes are 30 times more likely to have an amputation compared to the rest of the population, many of these amputations are preventable. Most amputations are caused when a foot ulcer fails to heal. The Putting Feet First campaign now wants to raise awareness of the issue and help diabetes patients take better care of their feet.
Diabetes UK wants patients to have their feet checked regularly and for those examinations also to include the skin, circulation and nerve supply to identify any potential issues. A multi-disciplinary foot care team would then be available within 24 hours to deal with any identified problems.
In the Darlington area, there were 55 amputations carried out on people with diabetes between 2009 and 2012, according to the Yorkshire and Humber Public Health Observatory. Darlington MP Jenny Chapman is now backing the campaign, calling the foot checks the obvious solution to reducing amputation rates.
Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects almost 4 million people in the UK, with an estimated 850,000 of that total unaware that they have the condition. Sufferers have too much glucose in their blood because the pancreas is not producing enough or any insulin to help the glucose enter the body’s cells and become the fuel for energy every individual needs.
The condition can damage the nerves that carry pain sensation from the feet to the brain, making the feet numb so the sufferer is unaware of cuts or infections. As the arteries to the feet are also narrowed by diabetes, there is also a risk of ulcers that can become infected if untreated.
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