Over the years, you all have heard that diabetes can cause kidney and heart failure, gastrointestinal disorders and can also cause complications in pregnant women. On the eve of World Health Day, doctors have advised people, who are suffering from foot related complications to consult a foot surgeon.
It is surprising to note that diabetes can also lead to foot complications, which can lead to amputation, said a doctor, adding that however, patients are not aware that they are diabetic. According to AIIMS study, “Every 4th person in Delhi is diabetic and out of these, 25 per cent of people suffer from foot complications (neuropathy).”
Health experts said a diabetic patient who suffers from neuropathy is not even able to feel the pain in the foot and in most severe cases, patient’s treatment ends in foot amputation.
Recently, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has called diabetes as a growing epidemic in India with over 60 million people suffering from diabetes.
Dr APS Suri, diabetic foot surgeon from Fortis C-DOC hospital said, “When a person suffers from diabetes, s/he is not able to feel the pain in the foot. Due to which they develop neuropathy. About 40 per cent of OPD patients suffer from foot ulcers and in most extreme condition they have to be amputated.”
The foot complication occurs in a person being a diabetic for 10 to 15 years. About 80 per cent of males and 25 per cent of women suffer from foot disorders due to diabetes.
“As people are not able to detect the pain sensation, they suffer from foot infections and once it goes into the bone, it develops osteomyelitis, a bone infection. It leads to poor blood circulation as a result of which, gangrene (a condition occurs when body tissue dies),” said Dr Suri.
Dr Anoop Mishra, director of Department of Diabetes & Metabolic Diseases, Fortis hospital said, “People still don’t know about foot amputation, foot ulcers due to diabetes. They should consult foot surgeon, if they are suffering from such health issues.”
Talking on the preventive measure for the diabetes, Dr Sujeet Jha, HoD of endocrinology at Max Hospital, Saket said sixty minutes of daily walk and good dietary habits can curtail the risk of being diabetic. “Patients who are suffering from foot complication should wear proper shoes after the consultation of foot surgeon,” said Dr Jha.
Dr Sanjiv Agarwal from Diabetacare said excess consumption of calories, simple sugars, saturated fats and consumption of less fibre, and markedly reduced physical activity are most certainly among the contributing factors.
Dr AK Gadpayle, director of Central-run Dr Ram Manohar lohia Hospital said due to the increasing diabetes trend in the country, the Central Government is going to start a new project for screening of diabetes at grassroot level by including Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers. “They will reach each person from urban to rural area. Till now, we know that diabetes is an urban people health issue. But government wants to detect it in villages where there are no medical facilities and working lifestyle is different with no sedentary lifestyle,” said Dr Gadpayle.