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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Losing a limb is just the beginning of the danger. A large Swedish study found that type 2 diabetes patients who underwent lower-extremity amputation had more than double the risk of dying from any cause or cardiovascular disease compared to those who didn't. The elevated risk was sharpest in the first year post-amputation but persisted for at least a decade.
Losing a limb is just the beginning of the danger. A large Swedish retrospective cohort study found that type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients who underwent lower-extremity amputation faced more than double the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular death compared to matched controls — even after accounting for established risk factors like blood pressure, A1c, cholesterol, smoking, and BMI.
The study tracked 3,485 T2D patients who had a major or minor lower-extremity amputation between 2006 and 2019, alongside nearly 14,000 matched controls. The excess mortality risk was steepest in the first year after amputation but remained significantly elevated for at least 10 years. Major amputations carried a higher risk than minor ones.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: These findings send a clear signal to clinicians: amputation in T2D patients isn't just a surgical endpoint — it's a major cardiovascular red flag. Aggressive post-amputation management of glycemic control, vascular health, and renal function could be life-saving.
