Right now, more than one million Australians are living with diabetes, and that number is expected to surge over the next two decades.
But there’s a side to the disease doctors want more of us to know about.
Reporter Stephanie Jeanes explores one of the most life-changing and shocking consequences of diabetes… amputation.
DIABETES-RELATED AMPUTATIONS
More than one million Australians are living with diabetes, and that number is expected to surge over the next two decades.
Health experts want more people to know about Diabetes Foot Disease, a debilitating complication of the disease, which can lead to amputation.
Doctors are in the midst of trying to curb a spike in diabetes-related amputations. According to the Medical Journal of Australia there’s been a 30 per cent increase in the past decade.
One of the worst consequences of Diabetes Foot Disease is “Charcot Neuropathy”. It results in disintegration of the bones and joints in the feet, often a loss of sensation and sometimes, amputation.
An inactive lifestyle, an unhealthy diet and high alcohol consumption all increase your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
For more information or advice, contact the Diabetes Australia information line on 1300 136 588
We should add that regular foot health checks by podiatrists could help avoid most amputations as a result of diabetes. Australia is the second worst in the developed world for preventable amputations yet we don’t have Medicare funded foot health checks.
Hi Damian,
I totally agree with you 🙂 Podiatrist Louise Maye did actually talk about the need to have regular foot checks as a way to prevent the foot disease.