DFD requests a member every two hours: report

According to one report, this is the leading cause of amputation, but diabetic foot disease may be the least known major health problem in Australia and cost lives.

According to a report in the Medical Journal of Australia, the disease, which could affect anyone with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, costs the health system $ 1.6 billion a year.

Diabetic foot disease (DFD) claims one limb per amputation every two hours and has a worse mortality rate than many cancers.

The alarming numbers prompted Diabetic Foot Australia researchers to release the Australian Diabetic Foot Disease Strategy 2018-2022 on Monday to end preventable amputations within a generation.

DFD often develops as a result of trauma in the presence of peripheral neuropathy or peripheral arterial disease and is complicated by an infection, which means that damage to the nerves results in a loss of foot sensitivity.

For Dr. Matthew Malone, co-author of the report, for most people, it starts with a "rubbing in the wrong shoes" and he rubs and scrubs until there is a hole in foot.

"When you have that kind of deep loss of sensation at your feet, your warning mechanism is gone," he told AAP.

"We can perform amputation under mild sedation and people will not feel it."

The researcher said the best way to prevent DFD is to reduce the effects of diabetes by controlling weight, controlling blood sugar, and regularly checking the condition of the feet.

In the past, most people with type 2 diabetes aged 60 and older were affected, but the age group is recovering, with people in their late 30s and 40s diagnosed as well as type 1 diabetes.

The report should encourage Australian governments and health professionals to act, said Dr. Malone and his co-authors.

"It's really a silent problem, it just does not have the same" impact "as other health problems," said Dr. Malone, director of research at the research center. on the preservation of wounds and wounds in southwestern Sydney.

The report recommends a coordinated interdisciplinary approach to the fight against DFD, especially as Australia has the second highest diabetes-related amputation rate among the OECD countries.

The new strategy sets out nine key recommendations, including the grant of evidence-based treatment, increased access to care, and increased investment in research.

For those who have a diagnosis, Dr. Malone said, "Look at what shoes you buy, check your feet every night, take off your shoes and socks, look for rubs and cuts … go to your doctor to talk of some dietary problems weight control. "