The economic and social costs of the diabetic foot and its amputations. Current situation in the Mexican population

Abstract

The high costs derived from the diabetes management in industrialized countries ar the result from failure in the disease response process, contrasting with those in developing nations, where late disease treatment increases the costs. The expenses of diabetic foot treatment in Mexico confirm that the health system is deficient. Therefore, efforts should be focused on prevention, since the spending of a patient with well-controlled and uncomplicated diabetes is 8,000 Mexican pesos per year. This sum represents a small amount of money compared to the one of managing a single patient with complications, which may exceed 300,000 Mexican pesos per year or more if amputation is performed.The deleterious effects of the diabetic foot must foster a deep awareness and thereby help to prevent disease' progression. It is essential to modify the imperfections in medical care and to apply effective prevention strategies, locally and nationally, to reduce the amount of above the knee amputations and lower their burden. Limb loss concerns not only the patient but the patient's family. In these cases, we all participate directly or indirectly to reintegrate patients into a productive and active life.This task becomes almost impossible once the limb is seriously affected because it irreversibly changes the patient's environment and the society in which he or she interacts.