On the 5th February 2019, the APPG on Vascular and Venous Disease launched its latest report on the inequalities in lower limb amputation rates. Saving Limbs, Saving Lives: A Call to Action to Reduce Inequalities in Lower Limb Amputation Rates highlights the national amputation and ulcer challenge and provides a blue print for how this can be tackled.
The report highlights that every hour, in England, someone over 50 has a minor (partial foot) amputation. Every two hours someone loses their whole leg. These are life changing events which increase a patient’s chance of further co-morbidities, a drastically reduced quality of life and premature death.
The majority of lower limb amputations are a result of foot ulcers. This report identifies four areas of inequality in access to treatment and outcomes for patients:
Diabetes: Whilst the national focus is diabetic foot ulcers, half of all amputations are in people that do not have diabetes.
Gender: Leg ulcers are three times more common than diabetic foot ulcers, and twice as common in women as men.
Where you live: There is a North/South divide with major amputation rates 30% higher in Northern England compared with the South.
Ethnicity: Amputation rates are 70% higher in the Black as compared to the White populations of England. In contrast, the amputation rate in the South Asian population is 40% lower than the White population in England.
The well-attended event brought together healthcare professionals and parliamentarians to discuss how to gain consensus on and promote a unified model for early diagnosis, intervention and treatment of lower limb ulcers to prevent amputation.
