African
Americans at Increased Risk For Amputations
The
rate of amputations for circulation problems due to diabetes--is on
the rise, researchers report.
Researchers
also found that African Americans are two to three times as likely as
other racial groups to undergo an amputation due to vascular problems,
the investigators found.
In
the study, Dr. Timothy R. Dillingham, from the Johns Hopkins
University in Baltimore, and colleagues reviewed the hospital
discharge records of more than 1 million amputation patients in the US
between 1988 and 1996.
Overall,
82% of amputations were due to circulatory problems caused by
diabetes, heart disease or other illnesses. This type of amputation
increased 27% by 1996, while trauma-related amputations decreased by
50%, and cancer-related amputations dropped by 43%, Dr. Dillingham's
team reports.
"In
1996, the rate of dysvascular amputations was almost 8 times greater
than that of trauma-related amputations, the second-leading cause of
limb loss," the authors write in the August issue of the Southern
Medical Journal.
African
Americans of all ages were at particularly high risk for dysvascular
amputations. African Americans under 45 years of age were twice as
likely as other racial groups to lose a limb, and among the oldest age
groups, African Americans were three times as likely as other racial
groups to lose a limb.
"Rising
rates of lower limb amputations in the general population combined
with disproportionately higher rates among African Americans are
concerning and warrant further investigation," Dr. Dillingham
said in a statement.
"We
need to better understand the causes of racial differences in
amputation rates and policymakers need to identify and promote public
health initiatives that alleviate the excess risk of limb loss among
the minority populations," he added.
South
Med J 2002;95:875-883.
================================
DID
YOU KNOW
The
results of a New Study showed the prevalence of diabetes in adults
worldwide was estimated to be 4.0% in 1995 and to rise to 5.4% by the
year 2025. It is higher in developed than in developing countries. The
number of adults with diabetes in the world will rise from 135 million
in 1995 to 300 million in the year 2025. The major part of this
numerical increase will occur in developing countries.
Diabetes Care 1998; 21: 1414-31
