Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government
Veterans Benefits and Health Care About VA Find a VA Location

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR&D Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

Obesity paradox in amputation risk among nonelderly diabetic men.

Sohn MW, Budiman-Mak E, Oh EH, Park MS, Stuck RM, Stone NJ, Pearce WB. Obesity paradox in amputation risk among nonelderly diabetic men. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2012 Feb 1; 20(2):460-2.

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.    Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions


Abstract:

The association between BMI and amputation risk is not currently well known. We used data for a cohort of diabetic patients treated in the US Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare System in 2003. Men aged < 65 years at the end of follow-up were examined for their amputation risk and amputation-free survival during the next 5 years (2004-2008). Compared to overweight individuals (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m(2)), the risks of amputation and treatment failure (amputation or death) were higher for patients with BMI < 25 kg/m(2) and were lower for those with BMI = 30 kg/m(2). Individuals with BMI = 40 kg/m(2) were only half as likely to experience any (hazard ratios (HR) = 0.49; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.30-0.80) and major amputations (HR = 0.53; 95% CI, 0.39-0.73) during follow-up as overweight individuals. While the amputation risk continued to decrease for higher BMI, amputation-free survival showed a slight upturn at BMI > 40 kg/m(2). The association between obesity and amputation risk in our data shows a pattern consistent with "obesity paradox" observed in many health conditions. More research is needed to better understand pathophysiological mechanisms that may explain the paradoxical association between obesity and lower-extremity amputation (LEA) risk.




Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.