Diabetes is one of the biggest medical issues facing this country and it is only getting worse. One in 3 Americans born after the year 2000 will develop diabetes at some point in their life. The direct and indirect costs of diabetes are absolutely enormous.
Feet and legs are disproportionately affected by diabetes. In fact, diabetes is the number one, non-traumatic cause of leg and foot amputations, accounting for 60,000-80,000 amputations per year. Patients living with diabetes are urged to have a diabetic foot screening with a local podiatrist at least annually. The two major systems the foot doctor will access are the blood flow and nerve systems. We know that any problems with these systems dramatically increases your risk for ulceration and ultimately amputation of the foot and leg.
In order to help catch issues with the blood flow system earlier and ultimately prevent amputation, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) has changed their guidelines on blood flow testing. The ADA now recommends that all diabetics over the age of 50 have a blood flow test at least once every 5 years. This test is painless and is very similar to getting your blood pressure taken with an inflatable cuff.
If you are a patient living with diabetes and you have not had a blood flow test in 5 years or more, please alert your foot doctor or your primary care doctor. By having this painless test done you can help to protect yourself and the people you care about from major complications, including amputation.
Committed to your health,
Dr. Craig Conti
Sarasota Foot Care Center
http://www.sarasotafootcarecenter.com/
