The Cost of Foot Ulcerations

 		         
 

Podiatrist Tye Lee Tze counts the cost of neglecting your feet and reveals some alarming figures.

 

Foot ulcerations are the major cause of morbidity, mortality and disability in people with diabetes. Every new day in Singapore sees at least a leg and a toe being amputated. Most of these operations are because of a person with diabetes neglecting his or her foot.

Alone, these statistics are alarming however statistics showing the survival rate for amputees are equally alarming.

 

2 year survival rate after an amputation

50%

5 year mortality rate after an amputation

39% - 68%

Chance of amputation on the other leg within the 1st year

9%-20%

Within 5 years of the 1st amputation the other leg being amputated

28% -51%
 

What this means is that a 60-year-old person who has had a below knee amputation has a 1 in 2 chance of surviving to his 62nd birthday and a 1 in 3 chance of surviving to his 65th birthday.

 

In the United States of America, the direct cost of diabetic foot complications are:

 

Complication

Estimated Cost of each

inpatient episode ($US)

Estimated Annual

Cost for USA ($US)

Lower Limb Amputation

$18,613

$709,000,000

Foot Ulceration

$  9,910

$370,000,000
 

All these burdens because they did not look after their feet. But could all this have been prevented? The major diabetes publications seem to think so.

• "Over 50% of amputations can be prevented" (American Diabetes Association)

 

• "Countries with specific foot care programs – incidence reduced by 50%" (The Economics of Diabetes & Diabetes Care, IDF & WHO)

 

• "Study in Geneva attributed 85% reduction in BKA's over 4-year period to podiatrists educated and trained in footcare." (St Vincents Declaration)
 

 

Moral of the Story:
As I once read in Reader's Digest

 

"Look after your feet........ they outnumber people 2 to 1"....... but if you don't (look after your feet) these statistics are subject to change.
 

 

References
 

1.American Diabetes Association, Clinical Practice Recommendations 1998. Foot Care in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus. Diabetes Care 1998;21(Suppl 1 ):S54-5.
 

2. International Diabetes Federation Task Force on Diabetes Health Economics. Diabetes Health Economics: Facts, Figures and Forecasts 1999:p. 14.