Diabetes-related amputations of lower extremities in the Medicare population--Minnesota, 1993-1995.
Diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of nontraumatic lower-extremity amputations (LEAs) in the United States and accounts for 45%-70% of all nontraumatic LEAs . Approximately half of diabetes-related LEAs occur among persons aged > or =65 years. To assess LEA hospitalization rates and costs for Medicare enrollees aged > or =65 years with and without diabetes, the Minnesota Diabetes Control Program (DCP) and Stratis Health (Minnesota Medicare Quality Improvement Organization) analyzed data for federal fiscal years 1993-1995 (October 1992-September 1995). This report summarizes the findings, which indicate that the LEA Medicare hospitalization rate for persons with diabetes was nearly 13 times the rate for persons without diabetes.
D000368:Aged; D000671:Amputation, Surgical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000601:surgery*; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg; D008297:Male; D006278:Medicare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008910:Minnesota / Q000453:epidemiology; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology