Scottish veterans more likely to lose a limb from diabetes than combat, study finds

Veterans are more likely to lose a limb as a result of diseases such as diabetes than through combat, a study from Glasgow University has found.

Captain Sir Tom Moore, 100-year-old British Army veteran.

The study from the Scottish Veterans Research Group at the university found the number of Scottish veterans with an amputation through disease is higher than those who have lost limbs in conflict.

Researchers suggest as well as diabetes, the most common cause of limb loss in veterans is peripheral arterial disease (blockage of arteries).

The study was published in BMJ Military Health.

Researchers highlighted the attention focused on the loss of limbs due to combat while the number of veterans who undergo amputation due to disease had not previously been studied.

The high public profile of combat-related amputation eclipses support required for ageing veterans who have lost limbs for other reasons, they suggested.

Lead researcher Dr Beverly Bergman, who was recently awarded an OBE for her work on veterans, said: “Losing a limb is one of the most devastating consequences of combat.

“But it is important that we do not forget the much larger number of both veterans and non-veterans who are affected in exactly the same way, but through disease.

“People can reduce their risk by maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding smoking; but, in the meantime, it’s important that we make plans to offer support for ageing veterans who have lost limbs due to disease, so they are given the same care as that afforded to the victims of conflict, who often benefit from a higher profile and greater perceived public support.”

The retrospective cohort study, funded by the Forces in Mind Trust and using data from the Trends in Scottish Veterans’ Health Study, looked at 78,000 veterans and 253,000 other people in Scotland born between 1945 and 1995.

Survival analysis was used to examine the risk of amputation in veterans compared with non-veterans.

Peripheral arterial disease was recorded in two thirds of both veteran and non-veteran amputees, while type 2 diabetes was found in 41 per cent of veterans and 33 per cent of non-veterans.

A dual diagnosis was reported in 32 per cent of veterans and 26 per cent of non-veterans.

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