Diabetes-related lower-extremity amputations disproportionately affect Blacks and Mexican Americans.
BACKGROUND
We sought to identify the age-adjusted incidence of lower-extremity amputation (LEA) in Mexican Americans, blacks, and non-Hispanic whites with diabetes in south Texas.


METHODS
We summarized medical records for hospitalizations for LEAs for 1993 in six metropolitan statistical areas in south Texas.


RESULTS
Age-adjusted incidence per 10,000 patients with diabetes was 146.59 in blacks, 60.68 in non-Hispanic whites, and 94.08 in Mexican Americans. Of the patients, 47% of amputees had a history of amputation, and 17.7% were hospitalized more than once during 1993. Mexican Americans had more diabetes-related amputations (85.9%) than blacks (74.7%) or non-Hispanic whites (56.3%).


CONCLUSIONS
This study is the first to identify the incidence of diabetes-related lower-extremity amputations in minorities using primary data. Minorities had both a higher incidence and proportion of diabetes-related, LEAs compared with non-Hispanic whites. Public health initiatives and national strategies, such as Healthy People 2000 and 2010, need to specifically focus on high-risk populations and high-risk geographic areas to decrease the frequency of amputation and reamputation.
Lavery
L A
LA
Department of Orthopaedics, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, USA.
van Houtum
W H
WH
Ashry
H R
HR
Armstrong
D G
DG
Pugh
J A
JA
D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D000671:Amputation, Surgical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000601:surgery; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013781:Texas