A recent review on diabetic foot — defined as infection, ulceration or deep tissue destruction associated with neurological abnormalities and varying degrees of peripheral vascular disease in the legs — notes that it's one of diabetes's most disabling complications.
According to the data gathered, around 15% of people with diabetes will develop a lower-limb ulcer at some point during the disease. Of those, roughly half will develop another ulcer later on, and about a third of these wounds will end up leading to some form of amputation.
The International Diabetes Federation estimates that between 40 and 60 million people worldwide are now living with diabetic foot ulcers, compared with a range of 9 to 26 million estimated in 2015, underscoring the importance of regular foot checks as a preventive measure.