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Health & Fitness

April is National Limb Loss Awareness Month

Limb lose Awareness

During the month of April, Amputee Coalition volunteers and supporters will work nationwide to distribute 1 million educational postcards to those at highest risk for an amputation.  The "Take a Seat, Check Your Feet" postcards direct recipients to examine their feet for the warning signs (cracked skin, a wound that won't heal, loss of hair, numbness) that could lead to an amputation if left untreated.

Approximately 500 amputations a day are performed in the US each day.  Each year 185,000 amputations occur in the United States, and 60 percent are preventable. Over 2 million Americans currently live with limb loss, and that number is expected to double by 2050.  Minorities and people with diabetes and vascular disease are most severely affected.  In 2009, hospital costs associated with amputation totaled more than $8.3 billion.

To view a complete copy of President Obama’s letter, click here.

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Statistics

  • 60 percent of limb loss is preventable.
  • The main causes of limb loss are diabetes/vascular disease (54 percent), trauma (45 percent) and cancer (less than 2 percent).
  • Among persons with diabetes who have one lower extremity amputation, up to 55% will require amputation of the second leg within 2-3 years (6)
  • Diabetes and vascular disease are the leading causes of limb loss.
  • Among people with lower extremity amputation, smoking cigarettes has been associated with a re-amputation risk 25 times that of nonsmokers.
  • In 2009, hospital costs associated limb amputation totaled more than $8.3 billion.
  • Nearly 60 percent of the amputation procedures performed in 2008 were paid for by Medicaid and Medicare, totaling more than $5.2 billion in healthcare costs.
  • African Americans are 4 times more likely to lose a limb than non-Hispanic white persons.
  • The introduction of comprehensive foot care, including regular visits with a podiatrist, have been associated with reducing diabetes-related amputations by up to 80%.
  • Nearly half of the individuals who have an amputation due to vascular disease will die within 5 years. This is higher than the five-year mortality rates for breast cancer, colon cancer, and prostate cancer.
  • Up to 55 percent of people with diabetes who have a lower extremity amputation will require amputation of the second leg within 2-3 years.

Limb Loss Awareness Month designates a specific time to:

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  • Provide support for individuals within the limb loss community
  • Raise public awareness about limb loss education; provide education and prevention information to both the limb loss community and the rest of the population
  • Provide an opportunity for individuals to discuss quality of life and other issues they face with the public, policy makers and the media
  • Recognize the contributions of military veteran amputees.
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