Diabetic amputations surge among Black and Latino Americans

There is an epidemic of diabetes-related complications, and minority communities are being hit the hardest

Photo collage of five legs and a cutting line marking them at the ankle. The last leg, which is the only white one in the row, avoids falling under the cutting line.
Amputations are on the rise in some marginalized communities in the States
(Image credit: Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Shutterstock)

The number of people with diabetes in America has been on the upswing in recent years, and so has the number of amputations related to complications from the illness. As with many other health care disparities in the United States, the Black and Latin American communities are getting hit the hardest by the crisis, having their limbs amputated at a higher rate than their white counterparts.

'The most stark disparity in Black versus white health in America'

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Theara Coleman, The Week US

Theara Coleman has worked as a staff writer at The Week since September 2022. She frequently writes about technology, education, literature and general news. She was previously a contributing writer and assistant editor at Honeysuckle Magazine, where she covered racial politics and cannabis industry news.