What's this about people with diabetes losing a foot?

How common is it and what causes it?

People with diabetes can develop nerve and vascular (circulation) problems or damage. When this happens, they can get an injury that they may not feel and it gets infected and the infection can sometimes spread quickly to the bone. Wounds in diabetics often heal poorly or more slowly than in a average healthy person. If the circulation is affected, then they can loose a foot simply because the tissues in the food aren't getting enough blood supply. Blood carries oxygen and nutrients, and cells need that to stay healthy. So if the bloodflow is reduced it can cause the cell to die and new cells can't form.

Amputation of limbs in diabetics can occour more frequently in those who have their condition poorly controlled. Though it can occour in those who do have their condition controlled (but usually in these people the effects are seen much later than those with uncontrolled diabetes.)

A diabetic who loses their foot for medical reasons is usually a diabetic who has typically had extremely poor control of their blood sugars for an extended period of time.

Diabetics are more prone to heart disease and circulation problems (slow circulation). If a diabetic is having circulation problems (cold hands or feet) they might be suffering from diabetic nephropathy which is Kidney disease. This in turn can affect your circulation, which in turn can affect your nerve endings in the toes, feet, fingers and hands.

Another potential cause is Diabetic Neuropathy and according to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetic_ne...
Diabetic neuropathies are neuropathic disorders that are associated with diabetes mellitus. These conditions are thought to result from diabetic microvascular injury involving small blood vessels that supply nerves (vasa nervorum). Relatively common conditions which may be associated with diabetic neuropathy include third nerve palsy; mononeuropathy; mononeuropathy multiplex; diabetic amyotrophy; a painful polyneuropathy; autonomic neuropathy; and thoracoabdominal neuropathy.

If a person with diabetic neuropathy steps on something or has a sore on their foot, they may not feel it, which can result in infection if not properly treated quickly. If there is an infection that has been ongoing and prominent for an extended period of time, there is a greater risk of amputation to prevent the infection from spreading into other parts of the body.

Diabetic nephropathy is kidney disease and this has an impact on your circulation. for further info on this go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetic_ne...

It is also possible that a person with a long history of diabetes, who does not exercise, can have the same problems with a slowed blood circulation.

Bottom line, if you are a diabetic check your feet and between toes every day and do your best to keep your blood sugars at a lower level (between 80 and 120)

With the high blood sugar levels in the body in diabetes mellitus, sugar acts as an excellent medium for the growth of bacteria in the tissues, even a minor injury can be aggravated to necrosis & gangrene of the end organs

gangrene... it is pretty common. that's why podiatrists are wonderful. they're usually the first to find out if their patient has diabetes and can help the patient with gangrene, etc, so that he or she won't have to lose their foot or feet...

Its is true, I am not sure about how often it occurs, but there are a lot of non-compliant diabetics out there with amputations, as well as kidney failure and blindness. I believe it is caused by poor circulation along with slow healing wounds from uncontrolled hyperglycemia