According to new research, the risk of minor amputation for patients suffering from diabetes can be reduced by 36 percent. This is for those who were prescribed the cholesterol-lowering drug fenofibrate.
Research was done across Australia, Finland and New Zealand on almost 10,000 people aged between 50 and 75 with Type 2 diabetes. Fenofibrate was given to about half of the participants, while the other half were prescribed placebos.
The study was first published in 2005. This was to see if fenofibrate prevented heart disease and it did not. With the new setup, researchers saw that found patients on fenofibrate had a 36 per cent lower risk of a first amputation than those on the placebo.
In the group taking fenofibrates, the risk of minor amputations in people without large vessel arterial disease was nearly 50 per cent lower. However the risk of a major amputation was no different between  the two groups.
Side effects including abdominal pain, nausea, pancreas and lung problems can be caused by Fenofibrates.
Dr Victoria King, Research Manager at Diabetes UK said, “This large trial suggests that the drug fenofibrate could play a role in the reduction of below-the-ankle amputations in people with Type 2 diabetes. We know that approximately 100 people a week in the UK lose a toe, foot or lower limb due to diabetes.” He added ,”Managing blood glucose levels by keeping them within acceptable limits can cut the risk of diabetes-related amputations, and trials like this one guide us towards further ways of reducing the risk of diabetes associated amputations.”
Diabetes is one of the conditions most people are affected with. A large number of amputations are carried out in patients suffering from diabetes.  Diabetes also affects the body’s ability to use blood sugar for energy. 
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