Study: More blacks than whites must lose a leg to diabetes - USATODAY.com: Blacks undergo leg amputations as a complication of diabetes at a far higher rate than whites, according to a study out today that also found blacks lag behind whites in breast cancer screening and diabetic tests.
'There are remarkable disparities between blacks and whites and between communities,' says Dartmouth Medical School professor and study lead author Elliott Fisher, who says health systems, economics, lifestyle, education and community resources all play a role in the differences.
The study, paid for by the non-profit Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, used data from Medicare to look at amputations, screening rates and other measures of quality care among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The foundation is one of the nation's largest philanthropies and backs efforts to change the health care system.
Researchers studied amputation because it can indicate that diabetes patients have received inadequate preventive care. The study found:
• Across the USA, the rate of leg amputation is four times greater among black Medicare recipients than white.
• Black residents of Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina had 6 amputations per 1,000 Medicare enrollees, while black residents of Colorado and Nevada had fewer than 2 per 1,000.
• Overall amputation rates for both blacks and whites vary among states. Utah has the lowest rate at .5 amputations per 1,000 Medicare members, and Louisiana has the highest at 1.7 amputations per 1,000.
