Diabetes UK: 135 diabetes amputations every week and obesity blamed for 17% rise in operations

More than 135 patients undergo an amputation every week due to diabetes, figures show. The number has increased by 17 per cent in the last five years alone says the daily Mail in the UK. The dramatic increase in the problem is being driven by Britain’s obesity epidemic, experts warned last night. There are now an estimated 3.9million adults with diabetes in the country, a 62 per cent increase in a decade.

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But Diabetes UK, which analysed the NHS figures, said that even with the scale of the epidemic, 80 per cent of amputations could be avoided if people with diabetes were given the necessary care.

The charity says many doctors miss the early signs of problems in the feet and hands, while patients underestimate the seriousness of foot care.

Public Health England data show that 7,041 amputations are carried out because of diabetes a year, up from 6,026 five years ago. That equates to 135 a week, up from 116.

Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes cause poor circulation – meaning that sufferers are 15 times more likely to have a limb amputated than those without the condition. They can lose toes, feet and legs or fingers, hands and arms.
Ninety per cent of diabetics have the type 2 form, which is usually associated with being overweight, a poor diet and lack of exercise.

The other 10 per cent have type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune condition caused by the body’s inability to produce insulin and cannot be prevented. The devastating effects of diabetes are highlighted by the case of Jane Knight, 52, a mother of two from Bristol.

She played the violin and piano, knitted, sewed and earned a degree in fashion textiles.
But just over a decade ago, Mrs Knight’s doctor told her that he could no longer control the problems in her limbs caused by her type 1 diabetes, which she developed as a schoolgirl.

First, in 2004, she lost her right leg, and six months later her left leg. Her right arm was amputated in 2009 and four years ago all the fingers on her left hand were cut off. Today Mrs Knight only has her left thumb remaining.
The former complementary therapist insists on looking on the bright side. She said: ‘I am good at organising things, so I can keep busy.’ But she added: ‘It is awful being diabetic. It is with you all the time.’

Diabetes UK said the Government could ensure that everyone with diabetes gets good quality annual foot checks and that anyone who has a foot problem gets the right care.

Its chief executive, Barbara Young, said: ‘The fact that the number of amputations is continuing to rise is a huge concern because we know the devastating impact they have on people’s lives. As well as the psychological impact, they also cost lives as most people die within five years of having one.

‘We have seen some areas making real efforts to improve the poor state of diabetes foot care, but these figures are a stark reminder that there is still so much more to be done.
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‘For example, not enough people are receiving their annual foot check and those who do often tell us their check was not very thorough. We need urgent action to address this.’

Tam Fry, spokesman for the National Obesity Forum, said: ‘There is a direct correlation between the growing number of people who are obese and the rising numbers of people losing limbs because they are diabetic.’
The Department of Health said: ‘We have launched the first-ever large scale programme to help prevent type 2 diabetes, and we encourage everyone to take up foot checks that are offered to them by the NHS. (DM UK)

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