Obesity epidemic fuels record levels of amputations, official figures show

From telegraph.co.uk

Britain’s obesity epidemic is fuelling devastating numbers of amputations - almost all of which could have been prevented, experts have warned.
Official figures show the number of cases have reached an all-time-high, with more than 8,500 procedures carried out last year as a result of diabetes.
Nine in ten cases of the condition are type 2, which is linked to obesity and inactivity.
Official figures from Public Health England show 23 amputations are carried out every day, with a 16 per cent rise in interventions between 2013 and 2016, compared with the previous three years.
Diabetes UK said the findings were “devastating” and often life-threatening - with up to 80 per cent of diabetic patients dying within five years of surgery.
The charity warned that the trend was being fuelled by soaring obesity rates, with two in three adults now overweight or obese.
People with diabetes have an increased risk of foot ulcers, which can deteriorate quickly.
Tam Fry, from the National Obesity Forum, said he was “numb with fury” about the failure of successive Governments to prevent a growing obesity epidemic.
"People are losing limbs and going blind because of diabetes,” he said.
"Successive governments  have done nothing to reduce levels of obesity in the UK and we are now seeing the tragic consequences. I am left numb with fury that we have got to this stage because we failed to tackle obesity.”

Dan Howarth, Diabetes UK’s head of care, said: “The record rates of diabetes-related amputations we’re seeing are being largely fuelled by increasing numbers of people developing diabetes. This is in part linked to the growing number of people living with Type 2 diabetes, which is closely linked to obesity and so, in most cases, can be prevented by maintaining a healthy lifestyle.”
The charity called for urgent NHS improvements to ensure that all patients with diabetes had annual foot checks.
While most cases of diabetes are in themselves avoidable, four in five amputations could still have been prevented, if the right care had been taken, the charity said, urging those with the condition to carry out daily checks on their feet.
Earlier this month the NHS recommended that every single person aged 40 and over should be offered an NHS diabetes check, with millions ordered to go on strict diets by GPs.
The recommendations from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (Nice) say slimming lessons and cookery classes should be routinely offered to those whose weight or habits is jeopardising their health.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/09/28/obesity-epidemic-fuels-record-levels-amputations-official-figures/