Every 30 seconds a foot is lost to diabetes somewhere in the world.
Diabetics have a 15 to 20% higher risk of developing foot ulcers. Out of these 15% ulcers lead to amputation of the leg.
Diabetes is responsible for more than 70% of leg amputations(Cutting of the leg) which occurs due to reasons other than accidents or injury.
India is home to more than 6 crore(> 60 Million) diabetics. Apart from the diagnosed diabetics about 4 to 6 crores based on different data are either undiagnosed or pre diabetic i.e they have a tendency towards high blood sugars and need to be guided on prevention.
About 9% of the adult population from 20-79 years is diabetic…International Diabetes Federation data for 2017.
When you convert this to actual figures, there are approximately >10 crore diabetics in India. About 15-25% of these are going to suffer from a diabetic foot problem. So in numbers that converts to 1.5 to 2.5 crore patients.
Infact Diabetics with foot problems are responsible for 40% of all hospital admissions in Diabetics, as per various studies.
The positive aspect is that 80% of these problems can be prevented by regular foot care and guidance.
The negative aspect is that India has very abysmal levels of understanding and awareness about diabetic foot problems and their prevention among both patients and care providers.