"Your FEET Can Last a Lifetime" program
Ten Agencies Launch National Campaign
to
Reduce Amputation Rate
http://www.niddk.nih.gov/PressReleases/9November95PressRelease.html
November Campaign Targets People With Diabetes
Washington, D.C. -- During November, Diabetes Month, 10 public and private agencies are launching
"Feet Can Last a Lifetime" a foot care awareness campaign to reduce the number of amputations among people with diabetes. More than 54,000 diabetes-related amputations are performed in the United States each year. Costing as much as $40,000 each, more than half of these amputations could have been prevented with proper foot care.
Many amputations are the result of nerve disease, a serious problem for many Americans with diabetes. Because nerve disease often leads to lost sensation in the feet, people with diabetes feel no pain when they injure a foot or toe. As a result, a minor injury can become infected and, without proper treatment, can lead to amputation.
People with diabetes can reduce their risk of amputation by following a few simple guidelines:
Check your bare feet every day for cuts, sores, bumps and red spots.
Have your doctor check your bare feet at every visit.
Wash your feet in warm -- not hot -- water every day. Do not soak your feet.
Remember to dry between your toes.
Cut your toenails straight across. Use an emery board to smooth sharp edges that could cut the next toe.
"Health care providers nationwide can use the message from this campaign to help people with diabetes lead healthy, active lives and reduce their chances of serious foot-related complications, such as amputation," said Marilyn H. Gaston, assistant surgeon general and director of the Health Resources and Services Administration's Bureau of Primary Health
Care.
Many of the 10 partner agencies will sponsor workshops in November to teach people with diabetes how to take care of their feet. Some agencies will also hold workshops to teach health care professionals how to identify people with diabetes who have lost sensation and are therefore at risk for developing foot problems that may lead to amputation.
One hundred and seventy-two veterans hospitals across the country will offer similar workshops to mark Veterans Day. Diabetes is a major health problem among veterans, accounting for an estimated 9,000 amputations annually at a cost of about $341 million per year.
"Foot ulcers and other foot problems that can lead to amputation are a major cause of serious infection, death and disability for our aging veterans suffering from diabetes and nerve disease," said Dr. Martin Mussman, national program director of VA Podiatry Services. "Our goal is to reduce the incidence of lower extremity amputation to meet the health initiatives set by the Federal government."
The public and private agencies participating in this national awareness campaign include:
American Association of Diabetes Educators
American Diabetes Association Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
California College of Podiatric Medicine
Department of Veterans Affairs
Health Resources and Services Administration's Bureau of Primary
Health Care -- the Carville approach
Indian Health Service
Juvenile Diabetes Foundation International
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Pedorthic Footwear Association.
"I feel confident that this coordinated educational effort will help people with diabetes prevent disabling amputations and, in turn, improve their quality of life," said Kris Ernst, president of the American Association of Diabetes Educators.
For a free "Feet Can Last a Lifetime" information kit, call the National Diabetes Outreach Program at 1-800-438-5383.
Copyright 1996, Keith R. Reber, DPM ABPS, All Rights Reserved
Please address comments to: Keith R. Reber, DPM ABPS