"It is not about money. No amount of money will give back my limb" said a 65 years old woman with diabetes (name withheld on request) who underwent limb amputation at the Gandhi Memorial & Associated Hospitals (GM&AH).
She couldn't have been right in conveying the message in the lead up to the World Diabetes Day, 14 November 2008, to prevent many diabetes-related complications that are extremely devastating. 

"Diabetes ups the risk for heart disease and stroke" said Dr Rishi Sethi, who works with Department of Cardiology at CSM Medical University.

"This increased risk to stroke and heart diseases can be lowered by keeping blood glucose (also called blood sugar), blood pressure, and blood cholesterol close to the recommended levels. Reaching your targets also can help prevent narrowing or blockage of the blood vessels in your legs, a condition called peripheral arterial disease" advises Dr Sethi.

"People with diabetes can, over time, develop nerve damage throughout the body. Some people with nerve damage have no symptoms. Others may have symptoms such as pain, tingling, or numbness - loss of feeling - in the hands, arms, feet, and legs" informed Professor (Dr) Rama Kant, who heads the diabetic foot unit at CSM Medical University (formerly King George's Medical College) in Lucknow, India.

"Another major diabetes-related complication is related to kidneys. People with diabetes are prone to develop a serious condition in which the kidneys fail to rid the body of wastes. Kidney failure is the final stage of chronic kidney disease (CKD)" explains Prof Kant.

"Will you be surprised to learn that diabetes is the most common cause of kidney failure, accounting for nearly 44 percent of new cases" says Prof Kant. "Even when diabetes is controlled, the disease can lead to CKD and kidney failure" adds Prof Kant.

However the diabetes-related complication which had devastated the life of the 65 years old woman in GM & AH (who is quoted above), is diabetic foot. "The foot of the patient with long-standing diabetes is often the s