But losing a foot or a leg can be prevented by using a handheld, infrared thermometer that detects temperature bumps inherent in tissue inflammation, so a small foot wound can be treated before it worsens and leads to amputation.
This finding was the result of two comparative studies on the standard foot check and the use of the thermometer called TempTouch, the New York Times reported on Monday.
With the TempTouch developed by Xilas Medical, diabetics can detect hot spots in both feet and allow the temperature to normalize before the skin cracks and become a full-blown wound.
Based on the studies, using the infrared thermometer reduced by nearly two-thirds the number of high-risk patients who got foot ulcers.
The latest of the two studies was funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs and published in last month's American Journal of Medicine. This study, which observed 225 patients, counted 12.2 percent of those who checked their feet with a mirror as getting foot ulcers while only 4.7 percent of those who used thermometers got ulcers.
Meanwhile, researchers from the Texas A&M College of Medicine conducted a similar study last year with funding from the National Institute of Health. They found 30 percent of diabetics who use mirror to check their feet got ulcers while only 8.5 percent of thermometer users got ulcers.
An estimated 600,000 American diabetics suffer from foot ulcers each year because they are slow to notice the wound in their numbed feet. Diabetics in the U.S. also undergo about 80,000 amputations of toes, feet and lower legs every year because the foot ulcers are slow to heal or got infected.
