Diabetes-related lower-extremity complications are a leading cause of the global burden of disability

P A Lazzarini; R E Pacella; D G Armstrong; J J van Netten

doi:10.1111/dme.13680

Diabetes-related lower-extremity complications are a leading cause of the global burden of disability

Diabet Med. 2018 May 23. doi: 10.1111/dme.13680. Online ahead of print.

Authors

P A Lazzarini^{1

2}, R E Pacella^{3

4}, D G Armstrong⁵, J J van Netten^{1

6}

Affiliations

¹ School of Clinical Science, Queensland University of Technology.
² Allied Health Research Collaborative, Prince Charles Hospital.
³ Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology.
⁴ School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.
⁵ Southwestern Academic Limb Salvage Alliance, Department of Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁶ Department of Rehabilitation, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

PMID: 29791033
DOI: 10.1111/dme.13680

Abstract

Globally ~435 million people have diabetes [1], and an estimated 19-34% (~83-148 million people) of those will be expected to develop foot ulcers in their lifetime [2]. Foot ulcers are typically precipitated by other diabetes-related lower-extremity complications, (DRLECs) including peripheral neuropathy and peripheral vascular disease [2,3]. Collectively, DRLECs are a leading cause of infection, hospitalization and amputation outcomes [2-5], yet, these outcomes are readily preventable with evidence-based care [6,7]. This suggests the burden caused by DRLECs is a large, yet reducible, cause of the global burden of disease. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.