Leg and foot amputations used to be routine treatments for diabetics suffering from poor blood circulation and other chronic complications as a result of their disease. Now data from the Centers for Disease Control shows that the rate of these amputations fell by an astounding 65% from 1996 to 2008.
Researchers credited advances in diabetes education for the drastic drop in amputation rates. They also noted that improvements in blood sugar control, food care, and diabetes management should be credited for decreasing operation rates.
These findings are encouraging but experts say that the next step is reducing disparities in care across populations. For instance, African American diabetics still have a much higher rate of amputation than white diabetics. Men and adults over the age of 75 also had much higher amputation rates.
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Source: Medical News Today