Diabetes is a chronic disease in which the body produces little or no insulin, which causes blood glucose (blood sugar) to be too high. Over time, having too much glucose in the blood can damage eyes, kidneys and nerves. Improper management of diabetes can cause heart disease, stroke and even the need to amputate a limb.

Lower-extremity amputation affects up to 15% of all patients with diabetes. A combination of factors may lead to amputation, including minor trauma to the feet which can cause gangrene in diabetic patients. Proper long term glucose control, diabetes education and foot care are some of the interventions that can reduce the likelihood of infection, nerve disorder such as tingling or numbness (neuropathy) and microvascular diseases.

Lower-extremity amputations among patients with diabetes are not a measure of hospital quality, but rather one way to measure the quality of outpatient care for diabetes. Proper and continued treatment for diabetes, including glucose control, may reduce the likelihood of lower-extremity amputation.