Brazil plans diabetes detection drive
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
The increasing incidence of so-called diabetic foot ulcers in Brazil has prompted the government to launch an initiative to improve early detection of diabetes. The failure to detect and treat the condition at an early stage resulted in, among other things, no less than 17,000 leg amputations in 2004. These operations alone - which do not include a "far higher number" of toe amputations - cost the healthcare system R$18m (US$8.2m).