It has been called “the least known major health problem” in Australia – but there is no doubting the devastating impact diabetes-related foot disease (DFD) can have.
DFD is the development of loss of sensation in the feet (peripheral neuropathy), reduced blood flow to the feet (peripheral arterial disease), damage to the bones of the feet (Charcot neuroosteoarthropathy), and development of foot wounds and lower limb amputations.
An estimated 510,000 people with diabetes are living with DFD nationally, while there are an average of 15 diabetes-related lower limb amputations and four deaths linked to the condition each day.
The issue is, however, very much on the radar of Associate Professor Byron Perrin, who is the Chair of Diabetes Feet Australia.
He points out that DFD is a major contributor to the global disability burden and, crucially, that its devastating impact is preventable.
“International evidence has shown that prevention can be achieved by ensuring people with DFD have access to and receive safe, quality care when and where they need it,” Associate Professor Perrin says.
He is a co-author of Diabetes Feet Australia’s DFD strategy, which sets out a goal of ending amputations within a generation. The organisation has also been involved in updating national clinical guidelines and research priorities.
The strategy has brought “significant progress”, Associate Professor Perrin says, including an accreditation program for DFD clinical care organised by the National Association of Diabetes Centres.
However, the issue still disproportionately affects remote and rural areas, while Indigenous people are up to six times more likely to develop DFD.
Associate Professor Perrin says that while "DFD costs the Australian health system an estimated $1.6 billion per year – more than 1% of the entire health budget – it attracts just 0.2% of total diabetes research."
“There is a significant opportunity for investment in preventative health measures and multi-disciplinary models of health care that are known to reduce the burden of DFD,” he says.
