January 26, 2012 · 0 Comments
weather.info/home/index.cfm?city=Washington,%20DC,%20United%20States&latlon=38.89511,-77.03637&u=c”>Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – The rate of amputations for patients suffering from diabetes has fallen by 65 percent since the 1990s, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.
Health officials believe the numbers are down because of better treatments that keep blood sugar under control.
Foot and leg amputations occurred in 4 out of every 1,000 adults with diabetes in 2008, compared to 11 out of 1,000 in 1996.
Amputations not related to an injury were still eight times higher among adults with diabetes than adults without the disease, but the lower numbers are encouraging and welcome.
The number of children and adults with diabetes continues to rise in the United States as obesity continues to be a growing priblem.
Over 25 million people in the U.S., or 8.3 percnet of the population, have diabetes. Projections are for the number to soar over the next decade if the number of overweight children and adults continues to rise.
Diabetes can cause poor circulation and nerve damage, which sometimes leads to the loss of toes, feet or legs.
The CDC report was released by the medical journal Diabetes Care on Tuesday.
By Emma Brown