Originally published November 27 2005
WHO emphasizes diabetics should take great care with their lower limbs
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
For World Diabetes Day, the World Health Organization is stressing the importance of care for the lower limbs of diabetics, which are often the site of amputations for those suffering from type 2 diabetes.
The World Health Organization estimates more than 170 million people around the world are suffering from diabetes and this number is expected to double in 25 years.
WHO Diabetes Expert, Bruce Unwin, says people who are overweight or obese are at great risk of getting the disease.
Dr. Unwin says there is good evidence that people can dramatically reduce their risk of getting diabetes by losing weight and becoming physically more active.
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease caused by the body's inability to produce insulin, or by the ineffective use of the insulin produced.
A common problem linked to diabetes is the loss of lower limbs.
Dr. Unwin says many diabetics will experience numbness in a foot.
Because of this diminished sensation, he says people often do not feel pain in the foot until it is actually damaged.
"And that can be from something like standing on a pin and not feeling it and then infection gets into the foot and it is not recognized until it is too late, until it has done quite a lot of damage," explained Dr. Unwin.
"Or it can mean that it is possible to wear poorly fitting shoes which also do damage to the foot, but that is not picked up because like most people who would feel it, it would feel uncomfortable and painful.
But, if you are not getting that sensation, then you can do damage that then leads to further problems."
The World Health Organization says more than half of all diabetic foot and lower leg amputations can be prevented with adequate detection and care.
It says simple measures such as regular foot examination and wearing comfortable shoes can save a limb.
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