Initiative to Tackle Diabetic Foot

Initiative to Tackle Diabetic Foot

Rajeev Khanna

Chandigarh, Feb 14

In the era of whatsapp forwards and google searches followed by self medications that lead to complications, genuine information coming from medical professionals can be a turning point. One such initiative has come from Dr Ashu Rastogi who is an Associate Professor in the Department of Endocrinology at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) at Chandigarh. Dr Rastogi has come forward with a simple booklet that helps people deal with the issues related to ‘Diabetic foot’ which is a malady being faced by millions.

Before going into the details of the booklet entitled ‘Pada, Paduka aur Aap’ that has been brought out in Hindi for a wider audience it is essential to understand the gravity of the situation arising out of Diabetes in India. The country is now the global capital of this disease.

According to a PGIMER spokesperson, “Diabetes has assumed epidemic proportions in India and now the country has the highest number of people with this disease on this planet. Among the dreaded complications of Diabetes are ‘Diabetic foot’ complications that include foot ulcer and gangrene. More than 50% hospital admissions for Diabetes are for Diabetic Foot Ulcer (DFU) that lead to five times increase in the cost of diabetes treatment and more importantly cause lower limb amputation.”

The writer has mentioned in the booklet that almost 50 crore people in the world are suffering from Diabetes of which almost 11 crore are in India. He has also mentioned that the chances of men developing a Diabetic Foot are double as compared to females.

It was further related by the spokesperson that a patient of Diabetic Foot Infection (DFI) spends 50% of his annual income on the treatment. Every year 200000 patients with Diabetes undergo higher level amputation. However, the stark reality is that 85% of these amputations are completely preventable.

In fact, Diabetes is the most common cause of leg amputations in the world and accidental trauma is distant second.

Unfortunately, the knowledge about Diabetic Foot complications is very scarce even amongst doctors and para-medical professionals. Hence, it is the need of the hour to focus on this very aspect of diabetes, especially the preventive aspect so as to empower the patients themselves for ‘foot care’. The best way for patient education is one that comes in their language.

“We wanted to wean people away from whatsapp and google and to provide them factual information in common language,” Dr Rastogi told this reporter.

In fact, a Diabetic Foot laboratory has been set up within the Endocrinology Out Patients Department block where data is being collected for research on this malady. The laboratory has been set up in collaboration with the Central Scientific Instruments Organization (CSIO). One of the aspects being worked upon at the moment is to develop footwear for the patients of Diabetic Foot.

Coming back to the booklet, this 60 page document carries a lot of illustrations that accompany the facts written in very simple Hindi.  It focuses on the ‘preventive aspect’ of Diabetic Foot. It details how to take care of foot in Diabetes like washing of feet, nail cutting etc? It also entails what should not be done for foot like self surgeries, warming foot in front of heater etc. The type of footwear for prevention of trauma to foot and foot ulcers is also explained with various pictorial representations for better understanding of the common man. The booklet tells about various tests that should be performed for early detection of foot abnormalities if a patient has Diabetes. The writer has also stressed that if somebody has blockage in arteries of the leg it is an indicator of high risk of heart attack and thus needs close evaluation of heart arteries as well. He has underlined ‘Foot is the mirror of the Heart’.

This highly informative document is being circulated free at the PGIMER and is being well received by the readers. It is a major initiative in educating, empowering and enhancing the self care behavior of people with Diabetes with the aim of prevention of leg amputation.