Diabetes to blame for rise in leg and foot amputations

OBESITY and diabetes have been blamed after the number of leg and foot amputations increased by nearly 20 per cent.

Diabetes UK said 26,378 lower limb amputations related to diabetes were carried out in England between 2014 and 2017, a rise of 19.4per cent on the previous period, from 2010 to 2013, when there were 22,092.

The number of minor lower limb amputations, defined as below the ankle, rose by 26.5per cent, while major lower limb amputations, those below the knee, increased by 4per cent.

Almost 3.7million people have been diagnosed with the condition in the UK, with about 90 per cent of them having type 2 diabetes.

The condition is the most common cause of lower limb amputations, and a person living with diabetes is 20 times more likely to require one. Foot ulcers and amputations are hugely costly for the NHS, with at least £1 in every £140 of spending going toward foot care for patients with diabetes.

Since 2017, NHS England’s Diabetes Transformation Fund has invested more than £80 million in improving access to specialist foot care teams, Diabetes UK said.

Dan Howarth, head of care at the charity, called on the NHS to maintain the fund beyond next year.

He said: “The shocking number of lower limb amputations related to diabetes grows year on year.

“Many diabetes amputations are avoidable, but the quality of foot care… varies significantly across England.”