To avoid amputation, diabetics must be vigilant about foot wounds — and seek treatment early and often

& Are you or someone you love living with diabetes? If so, Dr. Chandan K. Sen, UPMC Chief Scientific Officer, Wound Healing Services, and Director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, has an important message for you: Check the skin on your feet every day. Look for anything that’s not normal, like numbness, redness, swelling and wetness/discharge. “If you find even a small wound, like a slight skin bump or a tiny tear that has a little moisture coming out, please see a wound specialist soon,” he says. “If the wound has been there a month or longer, please don’t wait.” DR. CHANDAN K. SEN Dr. Sen is committed to raising awareness about diabetic foot health — especially for African Americans who are four times more likely than white people to need lower limb amputation. He believes healthcare providers must work to change this inequity, including engaging and educating people at risk on a community level and providing travel and other incentives, so they can be treated quickly by designated wound care providers. The amputation inequity is wrapped up in racism and limited access to resources. It’s made worse by healthcare distrust. It’s further complicated by an idea we...