Diabetic Foot Facts
- Podiatric medical care in people with history of diabetic foot ulcer can reduce high level amputation from between 65% and 80% Gibson, et al, Int Wound Journal, 2013
- Diabetes kills more people annually than breast cancer and AIDS combined. American Diabetes Association, 2009
- The relative 5-year mortality rate after limb amputation is 68%. When compared with cancer – it is second only to lung cancer (86%). (Colorectal cancer 39%, Breast cancer 23%, Hodgkin’s disease 18%, Prostate cancer 8%) Armstrong, et al, International Wound Journal, 2007
- Diabetes contributes to approximately 80% of the 120,000 nontraumatic amputations performed yearly in the United States. Armstrong et al. Amer Fam Phys 1998
- More than half of all foot ulcers (wounds) will become infected, requiring hospitalization and 20% of infections result in amputation. Lavery, Armstrong, et al. Diabetes Care 2006
- Up to 34% of those with diabetes will develop a foot ulcer. Armstrong, Boulton, Bus, New England Journal of Medicine, 2017
- 60-70% of those with diabetes will develop peripheral neuropathy, or lose sensation in their feet. Dyck et al. Diabetic Neuropathy 1999
- The estimated annual US Burden of Diabetic Foot Ulcers is at least $15 Billion Rice, et al, Diabetes Care, 2014
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- Chronic wounds affect some 8 million Americans each year. That’s one wound every 3.8 seconds in the USA, alone. Harsha , 2008 and Tomic-Canic 2010
- Diabetic foot ulcers double mortality and heart attack risk while increasing risk for stroke by 40% Brownrigg, et al, Diabetologia, 2012
- Every 30 minutes a limb is lost due to a landmine, Every 20 seconds, a limb is lost due to diabetes. Bharara, Mills, Suresh, Armstrong, Int Wound J, 2009