Research

        Minority health: African-Americans are up to four times more likely to lose limbs to vascular disease than whites, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions.

        Researchers found that African-Americans accounted for nearly 40 percent of lower limb amputations necessitated by vascular disease in the state of Maryland.

        The data need further investigation to discover the underlying causes for the disparity, said Dr. Timothy R. Dillingham, lead author of the study and an associate professor at Johns Hopkins.“We need to better understand the causes of racial differences in amputation rates and policymakers need to identify and promote public health initiatives that alleviate the excess rate of limb loss among minority populations.”

        From 1986 to 1997, amputations for vascular disease increased from 41.4 per 100,000 to 47.2 per 100,000. Rates were two to four times higher for all types of amputation for African Americans compared to whites of similar age and gender.

        The disparity held true even for patients with health conditions that made them more at risk for amputations, Dr. Dillingham said. African-Americans, Hispanics and American Indians with diabetes were more likely to undergo amputations than whites with amputations.

        The study appears in the September issue of the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Resource

        For women: Breastcancer.org, a non-profit Web-based breast cancer organization, is offering a free 18-page brochure, “Your Guide to the Breast Cancer Pathology Report,” a plain-English translation for women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. To order, go online at www.breastcancer.org, or call (610) 658-0734.

Shelf help

        What works: Alternative Cures: The Most Effective Natural Remedies for 160 Health Problems (Rodale; $18.95) by Bill Gottlieb culls advice from leading alternative practitioners to ease sugar cravings, back pain, hangovers and other more serious ailments.

Tips

        Warning signs: It's important for parents to recognize warning signs that their youngsters are huffing — using glues, spray paint and other products to get high.

        • The experts at The Children's Medical Center in Dayton say these are the indicators:

        • Paint or stains on the body or clothing

        • Spots or sores around the mouth

        • Red or runny eyes or nose

        • Chemical breath odor

        • Drunk, dazed or dizzy appearance

        • Nausea or loss of appetite.

        Paper correction fluid, glues, spray paints, nail polish remover, hairspray, gasoline and even cooking sprays can be used for huffing. Products containing toluene and cleaning solvents should be kept out of children's reach.

        Inhalants can severely damage the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver and brain. Huffing can be fatal, even the first time.

        Contact Peggy O'Farrell by phone, 768-8510; fax: 768-8330; e-mail: pofarrell@enquirer.com.

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