Young diabetic patients undergoing amputations
The Hindu
The age of diabetic patients undergoing major foot and leg amputations (below knee and above knee) has been consistently decreasing over the past one decade, according to doctors of Amrita Hospital he
The age of diabetic patients undergoing major foot and leg amputations (below knee and above knee) has been consistently decreasing over the past one decade, according to doctors of Amrita Hospital here.
Citing patient data since 2012, they said the average age of diabetic patients who underwent major amputations at the hospital was 67.4 years in 2012. This dropped to 62.6 years in 2016 and 59.7 years in 2019. Out of the total diabetic patients who underwent major amputations at the hospital, the percentage of those below 50 years of age was only 7.9 in 2012. This shot up to 15.1% in 2016, and 24.3% in 2019, said a press release.
Dr. Harish Kumar, head and professor, department of endocrinology and diabetes, said there had been a three-fold increase in the number of major amputations in diabetic patients below the age of 50 years over the last decade. “If one develops diabetes at 50 years, then the risk of major foot complications emerges at around 65 years of age. However, if diabetes starts earlier at 30-35 years, the patient is at risk of major foot complications and amputation by the age of 45-50 years,” he said.