100,000 in Sri Lanka suffer from diabetic ulcers – Health experts

The Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) has revealed that there are currently around 100,000 patients in the country suffering from diabetic ulcers.

Speaking at a press conference held yesterday (29), Professor Rezni Cassim, a vascular surgeon at the Colombo National Hospital, stated that wounds in diabetic patients are more serious than cancer.

He explained that even a minor wound on the foot of a diabetic patient can lead to serious complications, often resulting in amputation.

Professor Cassim noted that if a leg is lost due to diabetes, there is a 30% chance of losing the remaining leg within three years.

Speaking at the event, Professor Rezni Cassim, further said: 

“The incidence of diabetic wounds is about twenty percent. That means that if a hundred people have them, twenty of them could develop this disease. So, if this kind of problem arises, it is fifteen to thirty times more likely that your leg will be amputated. But eighty-five to ninety percent of all amputated legs start with a small wound in the foot. There are many reasons for that. Blood does not flow properly. Nerves do not work properly due to sugar. Not only that, calcium builds up. There are at least two million diabetic patients in Sri Lanka. That is forty thousand new wounds are formed every year. Even now, there are about 100,000 people with diabetic wounds in Sri Lanka. All these wounds can lead to a situation where the leg is lost.”

Professor Cassim further explained that diabetic wounds are often compared to cancer because there are certain similarities as both conditions develop gradually over time, tend to worsen progressively, and can eventually lead to death. 

He pointed out that even when considering all types of cancers, about 30% of patients die within a year, whereas in their hospital ward, only 35% of patients with amputated legs due to diabetic complications were still alive after four years, which means that two-thirds had lost their lives within that period. 

Professor Cassim also highlighted that “if you lose a leg due to a diabetic ulcer, thirty percent of you will lose the other leg within three years. Sixty-six percent will lose it within five years. That means if you compare this to cancer, only ovarian cancer and lung cancer are worse. All other cancers are better than this.”