In this Section:

• About Amputations
  • Before Birth
    • Amniotic Band Syndrome
  • After Birth
    • Diabetes
    • Trauma
    • Tumor
    • Vascular Incidents
    • Iraqi War

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• Dealing With Amputations
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After Birth Amputations: Diabetes

| Diabetes | Types of Diabetes | Diabetes and Amputation |

Diabetes
There are approximately 135 million people with diabetes in the world. Diabetes is a disorder in which a person's glucose level is too high because not enough insulin is produced. Glucose comes from the foods people eat and our bodies use it for energy. When a person has diabetes, his or her pancreas does not produce enough insulin so the glucose builds up in the blood and cannot get to the cells. The body can be seriously harmed if the glucose level is too high. One serious consequence is damage to the nerves throughout the body (diabetic neuropathy), leading to numbness, pain and weakness in the extremities, which may eventually lead to the need for amputation.
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Types of Diabetes
There are three types of diabetes, Type I Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes and Gestational Diabetes. Type 1 Diabetes is most common in children and will stay for the rest of his or her life. With Type 1 Diabetes, the body does not make insulin. Treatments for Type 1 Diabetes include taking insulin shots or using an insulin pump. Factors that help control Type 1 Diabetes include keeping a healthy diet, controlling blood pressure, and controlling cholesterol.

Type 2 Diabetes is more common than Type 1 and can be diagnosed at any age. In Type 2 Diabetes, the insulin produced does not function properly. Type 2 Diabetes seems to run in families. Treatment for this includes taking medicine and exercising regularly.

Gestational Diabetes occurs during pregnancy. Sometimes when a woman is pregnant, her body produces hormones that effect insulin. The body produces extra insulin to make up for this loss. In this case, even the extra insulin is not enough. Gestational Diabetes usually goes away after pregnancy. For some unlucky women, though, it can become Type 2 Diabetes.
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Diabetes and Amputation
Diabetes and diabetic neuropathies are the leading cause of amputation in the lower limbs. People with Diabetes have a twenty-five times greater risk for amputation than those without the disease. The longer a person has diabetes, the greater the likelihood of this nerve damage that may result in amputation. There are a number of factors that contribute to the severity of the neuropathy, including lifestyle factors (smoking, being overweight), heredity, and high blood glucose levels. People with this ailment need to take very good care of their feet and this can sometimes help to prevent amputation.