Death rates among patients who undergo foot or leg amputations due to diabetes-related wounds are higher than those associated with most cancers, with around 50 per cent of such patients in Pakistan dying within three years and 70 per cent within five years, experts warned on Saturday.

Speaking at the International Conference on Diabetes & Diabetic Foot 2026 in Karachi, experts said that diabetes-related foot wounds are not merely a threat to a patient's limb but a potentially life-threatening complication, with nearly 30 per cent of affected patients dying within five years. Vascular specialist Dr Fahad Tariq, presenting a comparison of five-year death rates from different diseases, said mortality among people with diabetes-related foot wounds is considerably higher than that associated with some cancers, including breast cancer.

Prof Zahid Miyan of the Baqai Institute of Diabetology & Endocrinology said that nearly 300,000 diabetes-related amputations are performed in Pakistan annually, equivalent to around 34 amputations every hour. Figures presented at the conference showed that 31.4 per cent of the Pakistanis aged 20 to 79 have diabetes, while around 18 per cent of the people living with diabetes develop foot wounds.

Experts said that more than three million people in Pakistan are living with diabetes-related foot wounds, and many amputations can be prevented through regular foot checks, early detection, prompt treatment of wounds and infections, and timely restoration of blood flow to the affected limbs. The conference's plenary session included prominent medical professionals and researchers from across the country.