Because comorbidities can influence prosthetic training, especially exercise therapy, researchers in the Netherlands conducted a cross-sectional study to describe the prevalence of comorbidity and its relationship with demographic and clinical characteristics in people who use lower-limb prostheses. The researchers concluded that there was a high prevalence of comorbidity within the subject group, especially in women and those with vascular causes of amputation.
The subject group of 171 people had a mean age 65 years (standard deviation of 12 years) at the end of outpatient rehabilitation treatment; 72 percent of the group were men. Comorbidity was assessed with the Functional Comorbidity Index. Comorbidities in medical records were assessed independently by two assessors. Associations with demographic and clinical characteristics were analyzed using linear or logistic regression.
According to the study, the median (interquartile range) number of comorbidities was three. Three or more comorbidities were present in 60 percent of the participants. Diabetes was present in 41 percent, cardiac disease in 35 percent, and lumbago/degenerative disc disease in 23 percent. The prevalence of comorbidities was higher in women and those with vascular cause of amputation. Women had a higher prevalence of arthritis and anxiety or panic disorders.
Based on their conclusion, the research team recommended actively screening for these diseases in women with amputations as it may be necessary to adapt the prosthetic training accordingly.
The open-access study was published June 8 in the Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine.
