A new study from the University of Sheffield highlights the scale of socioeconomic disparities in leg amputation caused by arterial disease across England
Lower limb amputation rates are four times as high in the most socioeconomically disadvantaged areas in England compared with the least disadvantaged areas
Peripheral arterial disease is a debilitating condition which is caused by a build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries to the legs which restricts blood supply
Findings show patients living in the most disadvantaged areas are also more likely to die following amputation
Leg amputation rates caused by arterial disease are four times as high in the most disadvantaged areas in England.
The new study, from the University of Sheffield, also found patients living in the most socioeconomically disadvantaged areas are more likely to die following leg amputation compared with those living in the least disadvantaged areas.
Whilst socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with a higher risk of amputation, this new study highlights the worrying scale of the disparities.
Peripheral arterial disease is a debilitating condition caused by a build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries to the legs which restricts blood supply. Major amputation of the lower limb is a last resort when other treatment options do not exist or have failed.
The main reasons for amputation include severe infection of the leg and gangrene caused by restricted arterial blood supply.
The new study, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), examined associations between socioeconomic deprivation and ethnicity and major leg amputation in England.
The researchers analysed hospital admissions and census area data over a 12-year period from 2006 to 2018. During the study period there were a total of 47,249 major lower limb amputations due to peripheral arterial disease.
The researchers found the main disparities were as a result of socioeconomic inequalities.
Above knee amputation was around four times as high in the most disadvantaged compared with the least disadvantaged areas, while below knee amputation was around three times as high.
Although amputation rates decreased in all socioeconomic categories from 2006 to 2018 in the population aged over 65 years, there was little change in the population under 65.
Professor Ravi Maheswaran, Emeritus Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Sheffield's School of Medicine and Population Health, said: "Being told you need to have a leg amputated can be a devastating and frightening experience for patients.
"Greater efforts are needed in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas in order to prevent and manage peripheral arterial disease, reduce amputation rates and improve survival following amputation."
