There has been a dramatic drop in the rate of diabetes-related amputations in the U.S., and experts attribute the improvement to better management of risk factors that lead to the loss of feetand legs.

The amputation rate declined by 65% among adults with diabetes in a little over a decade, the CDC reports.

Foot and leg amputations occurred in 4 out of every 1,000 adults with diabetes in 2008, compared to 11 out of every 1,000 in 1996, the CDC reports.

Non-injury-related amputation rates were still eight times higher among those with diabetes than adults without the disease.

Nevertheless, the decline shows that efforts to reduce the complications of diabetes are having a major impact, says American Diabetes Association President of Medicine and Science Vivian Fonseca, MD.

“This is very encouraging and important news for people with diabetes,” he says. “The decline confirms the tremendous progress we have made in translating research into practice." 

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