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Calls for more support as diabetes-related amputations increase

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Thu, 9 May 2019, 9:01AM
Those with the disease can be susceptible to foot ulcers, which podiatrists treat as part of their care. Photo / Getty Images.

Calls for more support as diabetes-related amputations increase

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Thu, 9 May 2019, 9:01AM

There are calls for more healthcare support for people with diabetes after it was revealed that the disease causes more than 1000 amputations a year in New Zealand.

Those with the disease can be susceptible to foot ulcers, which podiatrists treat as part of their care.

Podiatry New Zealand chief executive, Jennifer Pelvin, told Mike Hosking most amputations would be preventable through early access to podiatrist services.

"There is certainly a lot that could have been prevented if they had early podiatric intervention."

The number of amputations caused by diabetes has increased by 47 per cent over the last 10 years.

Patients with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are needing surgeries, she said.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease which is often diagnosed in early childhood. People with type 1 diabetes are insulin dependent.

Type 2 diabetes is when the body loses its ability to respond to insulin. Type 2 diabetes is often associated with obesity.

"There's a lot of type 2 but it's indiscriminate diabetes, once you have got it, you've got it and can have these complications," Pelvin said.

She said podiatrist have been warning that this crisis was coming for a number of years.

"Podiatry is a very small profession, there are only just over 400 podiatrist in the country, we are a very small voice."

"We have tried and tried to indicate that this was coming...an avalanche of amputations but it's very hard to get that message out there when you're such a small profession," she said.

However, the industry is "quietly optimistic" because the Ministry of Health has appointed an allied health director to help deal with the crisis, Pelvin said.

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