• Posted September 5, 2024

Map Shows U.S. Areas Where Amputation for Poor Leg Circulation Is High

A new interactive map of the United States can show people the risk of leg, foot or toe amputations due to peripheral artery disease (PAD) in their locale.

Mississippi has the highest risk of lower limb amputation, followed by Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and South Carolina, the Non-Traumatic Lower Extremity Amputations by Congressional District Heat Map shows.

“Increasing knowledge surrounding peripheral artery disease and the potential complication of lower limb amputation is vital, especially considering many people who are at high risk don’t even know what PAD is,” said investigator Dr. Marc Bonaca, chair of cardiovascular research with the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Peripheral artery disease occurs when the arteries that serve the legs become clogged, reducing blood flow to the limbs. If not treated, PAD can lead to the amputation of toes, feet or legs.

Annually, about 150,000 leg amputations occur in the United States due to PAD or other health problems, researchers said.

Diabetics are particularly at risk for PAD, as well as smokers and people with high blood pressure, they added.

For the new map, developed by the American Heart Association (AHA) and other organizations, researchers used 2017 and 2018 data from Medicare and the U.S. Census Bureau to track rates of leg and foot amputations.

Rural residents, the poor, and Black and Native American people are at the greatest risk for amputation, researchers found.

PAD affects as many as 12 million people in the United States, and Black people are twice as likely to develop the condition, researchers said.

“Much of the amputation data we are seeing is not surprising, yet the map helps us confirm and illustrate what we suspected in terms of where the biggest issues are,” Bonaca said in an AHA news release. “When patients with PAD and their health teams advocate for themselves, we can share a firm message that this is a public health issue, and it is preventable.”

More information

Johns Hopkins Medicine has more about peripheral vascular disease.

SOURCE: American Heart Association, news release, Sept. 3, 2024