Blacks Suffer More Leg Amputations From Diabetes Than Whites; But Nobody Mentions Vitamin D

Friday, September 19, 2008 by: David Gutierrez, staff writer
Tags: leg amputations, health news, Natural News

(NaturalNews) Black people in the United States are significantly more likely to lose legs due to complications from diabetes than white people are, according to a study conducted by researchers from Dartmouth Medical School and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

"There are remarkable disparities between blacks and whites and between communities," lead author Elliott Fisher said.

Researchers studied Medicare data on amputations, health care screening rates and other measures of diabetes care across the United States. They found that the rate of leg amputation among black Medicare patients is four times higher than among white recipients. Amputation can function as a measure of diabetic care, because people who receive quality care early are unlikely to lose limbs to the disease.

Diabetes can cause decreased sensation in the limbs, which can lead to infections and injuries going undetected and untreated, leading to gangrene and amputation. Diabetes is the top cause of adult amputation in the First World.

Type 2 diabetes, in which the body becomes resistant to the blood-sugar-regulating hormone, is an acquired disease linked to obesity and poor diet. Type 1 diabetes, in which the body becomes unable to produce insulin is an autoimmune disease of unknown cause. Recent research suggests that it may be related to vitamin D deficiency.

In addition to higher amputation rates, black Medicare recipients are also less likely to get regular mammograms or recommended annual blood tests. Researchers attributed the racial disparity in health care to a variety of factors, including economics and community resources.

"Once someone with modest resources and no health insurance becomes acutely ill or disabled, they can generally get Medicare or Medicaid," said John Buse, president for Medicine and Science at the American Diabetes Association. "But often the price of admission for a patient with diabetes is a serious complication like blindness, kidney failure, amputation or stroke."

Sources for this story include: www.usatoday.com.