7 Nov 2025 • A long-term study of 1,458 adults with diabetes found that developing a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) dramatically increased the risk of lower-extremity amputation.

Over nearly five years, patients with DFU faced a ten-fold higher amputation risk (HR 10.44) compared to those without. Other independent risk factors included low ankle-brachial index (≤0.5; HR 3.94), prior amputation (HR 2.31), reduced eGFR (HR 1.16), and elevated systolic blood pressure (HR 1.40). Interestingly, individuals aged ≥70 had a lower amputation risk (HR 0.29).

The findings underscore the importance of early DFU detection, vascular monitoring, and proactive prevention to reduce avoidable limb loss in diabetes.

Source: WILEY | Read Full Story