Mumbai : On the stroke of 7am, 200 hundred pairs of feet begin walking in tandem. Each step was, in their minds, another blow against a disease that’s taken hold in India. Diabetic Foot is reaching ‘alarming’ levels in India with10 – 12 per cent of Diabetic patients. Health experts have warned that it will only get worse, reaching epidemic proportions unless measures are taken now. Some of the participants who joined 
the ‘FLOW 2014’ Walkathon in Mumbai today were suffering from the Diabetes – usually classed as a lifelong chronic disease – and many have friends or families who have been diagnosed with it. Today, Friday (4), the INDIAN SOCIETY of VASCULAR INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY (ISVIR), together walked & pledged that they will not only take care of Diabetic Foot for themselves but also help others in tackling this disease.
“It’s a big problem in India,” says Dr Vimal R Someshwar, Organizing Secretary, ISVIR Flow 2014. “Every 30 seconds there is a major amputation happening in a diabetic patient” By the year 2025, there will be seven million new diabetic cases in the world. The disease is not one that affects only the rich and affluent, it is now more frequently affecting the middle and lower middle class family. It is most likely to affect those with a sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise and who consume unhealthy diets.
ISVIR conducted a walkathon to raise awareness about diabetic related foot and vascular problems. “In India, diagnosis is late and poorly treated. There is a need to raise awareness on various aspects of this disease and diagnostic, preventive and treatment modalities. There is a need to provide care for diabetic patients suffering from vascular diseases and foot problems,” said Dr. Gireesh Warawdekar, Organizing Secretary, ISVIR Flow 2014.
Indian Society of Vascular Interventional Radiology is a national body of Interventional Radiologist with more than 400 members. The annual conference “Flow 2014 ” is organized at Hotel Renaissance, Mumbai. The faculty consists of 15 international speakers and more than 100 specialists from India. The theme of the conference is to highlight diabetic foot, venous diseases, aortic aneurysms, vascular disease of the brain and interventions for cancer treatment.
Special programmes like walkathon are organized to increase awareness about diabetic foot disease, where in “save the foot “is the motive.
We will have diabetic foot patients, the delegates and supportive industry who will participate during the event.
Other programmes like IR quiz, competitive paper presentations, meet the expert etc are other important programmes during the conference.
Source : Lokesh Shastri