Better Diabetic Care is Decreasing the Number of Foot and Leg Amputations in the U.S.
For many people with diabetes, having foot or leg amputations has been are a very possible threat. Now, however, a report from the Center for Disease Control revealed a dramatic drop in diabetes-related amputations in the U.S. The drop in amputations is attributed to better diabetic care.
The study examined trends in diabetes hospitalizations for foot and leg amputations using national survey data from 1988 to 2008 and showed a 65 percent drop in the rate of lower-extremity amputations from 1996 to 2008. Diabetic patients 75 years of age and older, males, and blacks were the groups that showed a higher rate of amputations.
The reason for this drop is attributed to improvements in blood sugar control, foot care and diabetes management, and declines in heart disease. Diabetes can lead to poor circulation and nerve damage in the lower limbs, causing numbness and slow healing of sores and infections. While the rate and scale of improvement in this time period is significant, diabetes is still the leading cause of lower-limb amputations in the U.S.
If you have diabetes, American Foot and Leg Specialists can help you take care of your legs and feet so that amputation is not something you are faced with.