How Common do diabetics develop problems with their feet?

Diabetes is the modern plaque. As we can see in the following diagrams, diabetes is fast becoming a global epidemic

Internationally...

In the US, diabetes is a significant health care burden.

In Singapore, we have also seen a rising trend as compared to the world

There are some interesting facts about diabetics and foot problems:

• The lifetime risk for foot problems 30%
  
  
• > 50% of all foot wounds become infected, require hospitalization and 1 in 5 will end up with amputation
  
  
• Foot problems account for largest number of hospital bed days used for diabetic patients
  
  
• Every 30 min, a limb is lost to a landmine but every 30 seconds, a limb is lost due to diabetes
  
  
• Risk of recurrent ulcers are greater than 50% after 3 years
  
  
• Over 700 Amputations done in Singapore in 2001
  
  
• Two-thirds of elderly patients undergoing amputation do not return to independent life

A Diabetic patient may develop small wounds and may neglect their wounds but the wounds may rapidly progress and develop infected gangrene.

Diabetic Foot Wounds

The Goal is to

1. Prevent amputations
   
   
2. Return the patient to walking