Reduced Incidence of Lower-Extremity Amputations in People With Diabetes in Scotland

OBJECTIVE To establish the incidence of nontraumatic lower-extremity amputation (LEA) in people with diabetes in Scotland. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This cohort study linked national morbidity records and diabetes datasets to establish the number of people with diabetes who underwent nontraumatic major and minor LEA in Scotland from 2004 to 2008. RESULTS Two thousand three hundred eighty-two individuals with diabetes underwent a nontraumatic LEA between 2004 and 2008; 57.1% (n = 1,359) underwent major LEAs. The incidence of any LEA among persons with diabetes fell over the 5-year study period by 29.8% (3.04 per 1,000 in 2004 to 2.13 per 1,000 in 2008, P < 0.001). Major LEA rates decreased by 40.7% from 1.87 per 1,000 in 2004 to 1.11 per 1,000 in 2008 (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS There has been a significant reduction in the incidence of LEA in persons with diabetes in Scotland between 2004 and 2008, principally explained by a reduction in major amputation.