A rise in amputation rates for Australian males under 40 has sparked a strategy to tackle diabetes-related foot disease (DFD).
Associate Professor Byron Perrin, from the La Trobe Rural Health School, said DFD affected more than 510,000 Australians each year, leading to 47,100 hospitalisations, 6300 amputations and 2500 deaths.
Dr Perrin said the disease cost the health system $2.7 billion and was one of Australia’s most urgent and overlooked health issues.
“While Australia has made gains in reducing major amputations, the rates of minor amputations and hospitalisations are rising, particularly in younger males under the age of 40, who are seeing the steepest increases,” he said.
“Australia has also slipped in international rankings, now holding the fourth highest diabetes-related hospitalisation rate among developed countries.”
Dr Perrin said the Australian Strategy for Foot Health and Disease in Diabetes 2030, developed in collaboration with Diabetes Feet Australia set out a nationwide plan to improve access to care, ensure safe and consistent treatment standards and boost research and development in diabetes-related foot health.
He said half of the current outcomes in Australia could be prevented through better access to guideline-based care.
“This strategy is about turning the tide on a health condition that causes more hospitalisations for people with diabetes than heart failure, heart attack or stroke and leads to poorer quality of life than cancers, heart disease and kidney disease,” Dr Perrin said.
“If fully implemented, the strategy could prevent more than 2,800 amputations, 20,000 hospital admissions and save $940 million annually.”
He said the new strategy highlighted three major priorities:
- Better access: Including annual culturally responsive foot health screenings for all Australians with diabetes.
- Safe quality care: Ensuring high-risk foot services are available in every region, especially in rural and remote communities.
- Research investment: Calling for an additional $30 million per year and a national research network to guide innovation and best practice.
To read the full strategy, visit the Diabetes Feet Australia website.
