HYDERABAD: Vice Chancellor Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS) Prof. Bikha Ram Devrajani has advised diabetic patients to adopt special care as approximately 1 in 5 cases of infected diabetic foot ulcers end up at amputation.
Addressing a workshop on “Diabetic Foot” here today he informed that diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease caused by the body’s inability to produce and use insulin. and such a deficiency results in increased concentrations of glucose in the blood, which in turn damage many of the body’s systems.
The workshop was arranged by Sindh Institute of Endocrinology & Diabetes LUMHS Jamshoro in collaboration with Baqai Institute of Endocrinology & Diabetology at Liaquat University Hospital Jamshoro.
Prof. Devrajani informed that Diabetic complications of foot-one of the most common and visible impacts of the disease- were caused by changes in blood vessels and nerves and that can lead to ulceration and subsequent limb amputation. Diabetic foot ulcers can occur in up to 25 percent of patients with diabetes during their lifetimes and more than half of those ulcers will become infected, he informed.
He said that the daily life of diabetic patients is disrupted by the need of monitoring blood glucose levels, taking medicines and balancing the effect of activity and food. Professor Bekha Ram further informed that amputations due to diabetes cause unnecessary loss of life and disability. In high-income countries, treatment of diabetic foot complication accounts for 15-25 percent of total health care resources for diabetes, he added.
Professor Bekha Ram informed that the leg and foot amputations in people with diabetes can be prevented using low cost, low technology solutions and simple behaviors should be encouraged such as regular foot examination and examining the inside of shoes before putting them on, not walking barefoot, wearing comfortable shoes, keeping feet clean and regular care of skin and nails. He added that people who suffer from diabetes must take special care of their feet, as they are at a higher risk of infection and necrosis that can lead to amputation.