Poor people with diabetes up to 10 times likelier to lose a limb than wealthier patients

It's no secret that poverty is bad for your health. Now a new UCLA study demonstrates that California diabetics who live in low-income neighborhoods are up to 10 times more likely to lose a toe, foot or leg than patients residing in more affluent areas of the state. Earlier diagnosis and proper treatment could prevent many of these amputations, the researchers say. The study authors hope their findings, published in the August issue of Health Affairs, will motivate public agencies and medical providers to reach out to patients at risk of late intervention and inspire policymakers to adopt legislation to reduce barriers to care.  "I've stood at the bedsides of diabetic patients and listened to the surgical residents say, 'We have to cut your foot off to save your life,'" said lead author Dr. Carl Stevens, a clinical professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "These patients are often the family breadwinners and parents of young children — people with many productive years ahead of them. "When you have diabetes, where you live directly relates to whether you'll lose a limb to the disease," added Stevens, an emergency physician for 30 years at Harbor–UCLA Medical Center. "Millions of Californians have undergone preventable amputations due to poorly managed diabetes. 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...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news