Adults with diagnosed diabetes were significantly more likely to have limited mobility than were those without the disease (27% vs. 16%), according to preliminary findings from an analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2002.
Adults with lower extremity disease (LED) faced similarly increased risks: Twenty-six percent of those with the disease had mobility limitation, compared with 15% of those without LED, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
LED was defined as the presence of peripheral arterial disease, peripheral neuropathy, a self-report of foot/leg ulcers, or a technician-observed toe or foot lesion or amputation.
The prevalence of limited mobility among adults with both diagnosed diabetes and LED was greater than that among adults with only one of the conditions, and almost three times greater—39%—than the prevalence among adults with neither condition.
The risk of limited mobility in patients with diagnosed diabetes or LED was “additive overall,” with “no statistically significant interaction between diabetes status and LED status,” the investigators reported (MMWR 2005:54;1183–6).
The findings likely underestimate the prevalence of mobility limitation because almost a quarter of patients who participated in the survey were excluded from the study due to missing data. Such patients were older and more likely to have diagnosed diabetes, the investigators noted.
Patients with limited mobility most frequently reported that their limitations were related to an inability to walk a quarter mile or up 10 steps without resting.
Among those with both diabetes and LED, 33% reported such difficulties. Significantly fewer—6%—said they had difficulty walking from one room to another on the same level (the most severe form of mobility limitation analyzed).
“As the U.S. population ages and the prevalence of diabetes increases, LED and its health consequences, including chronic ulcers in feet or legs, amputations, and mobility limitations, will become increasing public health concerns,” the CDC researchers said.
The analysis covered approximately 4,700 noninstitutionalized adults aged 40 and over who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, an ongoing, cross-sectional survey in which data are collected through in-person interviews and medical examinations. (Approximately 6,000 adults participated, but more than 1,300 were excluded from the analysis.)