01/27/2012    

DIABETES NEWS

Amputations Due To Diabetes Fell More Than Half Since Mid 1990s

The AP (1/25) reports, "Foot and leg amputations were once a fairly common fate for diabetics, but new government research found that the rate has fallen by more than half since the mid-1990s, decreasing from more than 11 to about 4 per 1,000 people, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday."

In the study, investigators "checked national hospital discharge records for 1988 through 2008, looking for patients aged 40 and older who had lost a toe, foot, or leg to diabetes." The AP adds, "While diabetes has been growing more common in the United States - driven by obesity-related Type 2 - researchers have noted recent declines in some of the other most dreaded complications, including blindness and kidney failure." The study was published in Diabetes Care.

Source: Dermatology Daily [1/25/12] via AP, submitted by  Dr. Leonard Levy