Skip to main content
Log in

The Cost of Diabetic Foot Problems

  • Published:
PharmacoEconomics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Diabetic foot problems are the commonest and most morbid complications of diabetes and constitute a major cost to any healthcare system. Foot problems result in the greatest number of admissions to hospital, and these become extremely costly. The demonstration in many areas of the health service that care, education, and the provision of good support to people results in fewer foot problems must be the spur for all those involved in diabetes care to improve services in all localities. Foot ulceration is much more common in deprived areas, and urgent research is required to determine exactly why this occurs so that appropriate remedies can be applied.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Boulton AJM, Connor H, Cavanagh PR, editors. The foot in diabetes. 2nd ed. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, 1994

    Google Scholar 

  2. Edmunds ME, Blundell MP, Morris HE, et al. Improved survival of the diabetic foot: the role of the specialised foot clinic. Q J Med 1986; 60: 763–71

    Google Scholar 

  3. Kumar S, Ashe HA, Parnell LN, et al. The prevalence of foot ulceration and its correlates in type 2 diabetic patients: a population based study. Diabet Med 1994; 11: 480–4

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Neil HAW, Thompson AV, Thorogood M, et al. Diabetes in the elderly: the Oxford community diabetes study. Diabet Med 1989; 6: 608–13

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Jarrett RJ. Report on the multi-national study of vascular disease in diabetics (WHO Study No. 08) Internal WHO document NCD/OND/79.4. World Health Organization, Geneva, 1982

    Google Scholar 

  6. Waugh NR. Amputations in diabetic patients: a review of rates, relative risks and resource use. Community Med 1988; 10: 279–88

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Williams DRR. Hospital admissions of diabetic patients: information from hospital activity analysis. Diabet Med 1984; 27–32. In: Boulton AJM, Connor H, Cavanagh PR, editors. The foot in diabetes. International textbook of diabetes mellitus. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, 1992: 15–24

    Google Scholar 

  8. Robinson N, Yateman NA, Protopapa LE, et al. Employment problems and diabetes. Diabet Med 1990; 7: 16–22

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Laing W, Williams DR. Diabetes: a model for health care management. No. 92 in a series of papers on current health problems. Office of Health Economics, London, 1989

    Google Scholar 

  10. Songer TJ. The economics of diabetes care. In: Alberti KGMM, De Fronzo RA, Keen H, et al., editors. International textbook of diabetes mellitus. Chichester: Wiley, 1992: 1643–54

    Google Scholar 

  11. Reiber GE. Diabetic foot care. Financial implications and practical guidelines. Diabetes Care 1992; 15 Suppl. 1: 29–31

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Williams DRR, Anthony P, Young RJ, et al. Interpreting hospital admissions data across the Korner divide: the example of diabetes in the North West region. Diabet Med 1994; 11: 166–9

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Caddick SL, MacKinnon M, Payne N, et al. Hospital admissions and social deprivation of patients with diabetes mellitus. Diabet Med 1994; 11: 981–3

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Foster AVM, Snowden S, Grenfell A, et al. Reduction of gangrene amputations in diabetic renal transplant patients: the role of a special foot clinic. Diabet Med 1995; 12: 632–5

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. WHO/IDF Diabetes Care and Research in Europe: The St Vincent Declaration. Diabet Med 1990; 7: 360

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Cethia KK, Berry AR, Morrison JD, et al. Changing pattern of lower limb amputation for vascular disease. Br J Surg 1986; 73: 701–3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. LEA Study Group. Comparing the incidence oflower extremity amputations across the world: the global lower extremity amputation study. Diabet Med 1995; 12: 14–18

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ward, J.D. The Cost of Diabetic Foot Problems. Pharmacoeconomics 8 (Suppl 1), 55–57 (1995). https://doi.org/10.2165/00019053-199500081-00012

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2165/00019053-199500081-00012

Keywords

Navigation