Diabetics living in low-income areas of California are up to 10 times more likely than those living in affluent areas to lose a toe, foot or leg, according to analysis released today by UCLA.
The study, published in the August issue of Health Affairs, suggests that early diagnosis and proper treatment of the disease could prevent many amputations.
“When you have diabetes, where you live directly relates to whether you’ll lose a limb to the disease,” said Dr. Carl Stevens, the study’s lead author and clinical professor of medicine at UCLA. “Millions of Californians have undergone preventable amputations due to poorly managed diabetes.”
Using data from UCLA’s Center for Health Policy Research, the U.S Census Bureau and the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, researchers were able to pinpoint diabetes-related amputations by ZIP code for patients 45 years of age and older.
Researchers found that amputation “hot spots” were clustered around low-income neighborhoods, such as Compton and East Los Angeles. More affluent areas such as Beverly Hills and Hermosa Beach had significantly lower rates of diabetic amputation, research showed.
The study also found that amputation patients were most likely to be black or non-English speaking — something researchers said needs to change.
“The U.S spends more health care dollars per person than any country in the world,” said project co-author and UCLA emergency medicine professor Dr. David Schriger. “Yet we still can’t organize our health care system in a way that gives everyone adequate treatment.”
The study’s authors said they will use the data to develop strategies to help lower the amputation risk for diabetics living in poorer areas.
“We hope our findings spur policymakers nationwide to improve access to treatment by expanding Medicaid and other programs targeting low-income residents, as we did in California in 2014,” Schriger said.
