Latin American initiatives to improve foot care in people with diabetes: the effort to reduce diabetes-related lower extremity amputations.

Diabetes-related foot complications represent a significant health burden across Latin America, where high rates of lower extremity amputations (LEAs) are driven by limited healthcare resources and infrastructure. Despite these challenges, various initiatives in the region have made notable progress. Programs like the Step by Step Project and the Train the Foot Trainer (TtFT), both key components of D-Foot International, have successfully trained over 4000 healthcare professionals and helped establish more than 125 diabetic foot care units in Latin America. These efforts align with International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF) guidelines, promoting prevention and early intervention. This article highlights initiatives from ten countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, and Paraguay, showcasing diverse approaches to managing diabetes-related foot complications. In several countries, women have been identified as the most vulnerable population to diabetes-related foot disease, facing higher complication rates due to delayed diagnosis and social disparities. While significant progress has been made, barriers such as financial constraints and the lack of a standardized disease code remain. Overcoming these obstacles requires increased investment in primary care and a focus on reducing social inequalities, especially for Indigenous and underserved populations. With the right strategies, reducing diabetes-related amputations is achievable.