Originally published April 4 2005
Diabetic foot wounds lead to 80,000 amputations every year; most amputations are preventable
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Loss of sensation in the limbs, especially the feet, is one of the more common complications of diabetes. Because they cannot feel pain in those areas, many diabetics are unaware of the formations of ulcers, which, if left untreated, leave little choice but to amputate the foot. About 80,000 diabetics lose a limb each year, and doctors say 72,000 of them are preventable. Diabetics need to be proactive in treating their disease, and keep a sharp eye out for ulcers and other signs of infection.
He has to; as a diabetic for 20 years, the 70-year-old Hill has neuropathy, a common nerve disorder of diabetes mellitus that can lead to the loss of sensation in the feet and other parts of the body.
As a result, he was unaware he had developed an ulcer on his right foot from the ill-fitting shoes until it was almost too late.
He quickly went to the Providence Diabetic Foot Center in Burbank, where a doctor gave him strong antibiotics, removed the dead skin tissue from his foot, and made a mark on Hill's ankle.
The wound eventually healed, but Hill learned how dangerous foot abrasions can be for diabetics.
In fact, diabetic foot wounds are the leading cause of nontraumatic foot amputations in the United States.
The disease disproportionately affects Latinos, African-Americans, American Indians and Asian/Pacific Islanders - communities that represent 67 percent of the population in Los Angeles County.
Nationwide, efforts are under way to combat the disease.
Among those speaking out about the diabetes risk is actor Edward James Olmos, national spokesman for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.
Andros was co-chairman of this month's Global Diabetic Foot Conference in Hollywood, an international symposium that attracted hundreds of physicians, podiatrists, surgeons, nurses and diabetic educators.
"Diabetics get a unique blockage (of circulation) below the knee and above the ankle.
"If we can get them up to a level to heal, then if they take proper foot care, they may have no further foot trouble," Andros says.
He recommends frequent visual inspection of the feet, although he concedes such tasks can be a challenge for the obese.
"We all have to care about it and do something in our own lives, in our own homes and our own communities and schools to help prevent it.
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