Approximately 45 billion dollars a year is spent directly on health care related to diabetes. Another 47 billion dollars per year is spent on indirect costs such as disability, work loss, and premature mortality relating to diabetes. Diabetes is the seventh highest cause of death in the United States and the largest cause of non-traumatic amputation. Eighteen percent of all deaths in adults over the age of 25 occurred in individuals who have diabetes. Each year there are approximately 625,000 new cases diagnosed each year.
Podiatric physicians are an important component of the diabetic health care team.
Many times we are the first to see the signs, symptoms, and complications of this disease. We all must stay abreast of information about diabetes to keep the feet of our diabetic patients in working order. Through the use of the World Wide Web information is readily and rapidly available for both physicians and patients. The support of a patient s family is important to the individual with diabetes. Besides the information contained in your office handouts, physicians may also lead the patient and their family to authoritative websites that contain information about diabetes.