Mr. Muibi Adeniran , a type -1 diabetic, always thought his major concern was getting money to buy his insulin and ensuring he take two shots daily. He never knew that paying special attention to his feet was important until the day his left limb was amputated due to a foot injury.

 

Experts have declared that if you have diabetes, you have an increased risk of developing foot injuries and ulcers which, if not treated early, will results in amputation and eventually death in most cases. Unfortunately, the awareness and focus on foot care is still very low in Nigeria and Mr. Adeniran, like many other diabetics, never bothered much about his feet.

 

He told National Mirror that since his diagnoses 28 years ago, his one big concern has been to buy his insulin and take his shots 2 times daily- morning and evening. As a type-1 diabetic, Mr. Adeniran, have to depend on injected or pumped insulin for life because his pancreases has stopped producing insulin, the hormone that enables people get energy from food.

 

“To buy insulin is very expensive; it costs me more than N15,000 every month. I have to take two injections of insulin morning and evening. I also have to measure my blood glucose level by pricking my fingers for blood many times a day”, he said.

 

So paying attention to his feet was the last thing on Mr. Adenira’s mind. “Even when an iron pierced me underneath my foot years back, I ignored and dismissed it as nothing until the feet started to swell. It was then I went to Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) where I was admitted for one month. But the infection had already spread and the doctors told me that the only way to stay alive was to amputate my leg”, he recalled.

 

Now wearing prosthesis, Adeniran said he could no longer work to earn a living because of his lost limb.

 

Like him, thousands of Nigerians have lost their limbs due to diabetes foot problem.

 

Every day, an estimated 4230 lower limbs (1 limb every 20 second) are amputated due to complication of diabetes with over 50 per cent of the major amputees eventually dying within one year! Unfortunately, 85 per cent of these amputations could have been avoided through preventive measures, an endocrinologist, Dr. Afoke Isiavwe, revealed during this year’s podiatric workshop by The Podiatry Initiative Nigeria. According to her, diabetes mellitus foot is the second leading cause of diabetes-related deaths in Nigeria and account for 19.5 to 24 percent of all diabetes mortality.

 

She said the situation is made worse by the fact that the nation has no structured curriculum for podiatry in the medical institutions hence awareness and knowledge on foot care is lacking.

 

 

“Diabetes Podiatry Initiative started an annual podiatry training to raise awareness on the need for foot care and to empower health workers to know how to take care of the feet of their patients pending when we have a structured program in the nation”, she said.

 

At this year’s podiatry training, held at the Hotel Peninsula, Lekki, Lagos, different cadres of healthcare workers from 11 hospitals in Lagos were trained so they could teach their patients on what to do to prevent getting foot ulcers and injuries.

 

One of the America Podiatrists and facilitators, Dr. James Kinchsular taught about the basic problem that can cause foot disease such as toe nail problems and deformities and how to take care of it to prevent getting an infection which could lead to amputation. He said the emphasis on diabetes was because diabetes is becoming an epidemic in the world and lots of people keep losing their feet from diabetic foot problems that could have been prevented.

 

Another facilitator, Dr. William Haris, taught about evaluating the nails and toe tissues for hard skins and calluses that could turn into ulcers or cancers in future, and how to prevent the feet from developing infections. On his part, one of the participant, Chairman Medical Advisory Committee at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Dr. Olufemi Fasanmade, said Nigeria lose too many diabetics due to diseases and infections on the legs which rapidly spreads and involves the whole leg. He said many patients instead of seeking early medical intervention, will often mistake it for witchcraft and go about seeking religious solution until it is too late and the leg have to be amputated.

 

On the other hand, he said that health workers need to recognise and spot the diseases affecting the feet of their patients early, to prevent it from spreading and save the limb from amputation.

 

The 5-day podiarty workshop tagged ‘Building Local Capacity in Diabetes Foot Care’ was Supported by Rainbow Specialist Medical Centre, World Diabetes Foundation and the Podiatry Institute US

 

By: FRANKA OSAKWE

National Mirror