Diabetes and foot care

摘要

People with diabetes are 30 times more likely to have an amputation than those without the condition, and up to 80 per cent of these are believed to be preventable. There are more than 6,000 amputations a year in England. These operations are costly to the NHS and have a devastating effect on the patient. Only 50 per cent of people with diabetes who undergo an amputation survive for two years. A significant number of people with diabetes are receiving inadequate annual foot checks, increasing their risk of amputation, according to new research carried out by Diabetes UK. In an online survey of almost 6,700 people with diabetes, almost one third said they were not informed about their level of risk of foot problems during the check. The same proportion said they were not given advice about their foot care.