HC Deb 18 July 1991 vol 195 cc282-3W
Miss Emma Nicholson

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many individuals in the United Kingdom are missing one or both legs.

Mr. Dorrell

This information is not held centrally.

Miss Emma Nicholson

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the principal causes for the loss of legs in the United Kingdom; and what percentage of the total each of the causes forms.

Mr. Dorrell

The latest available information on the cause of leg amputations in England is given in the table. The information relating to other parts of the United Kingdom is a matter for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Patients attending for the first time in 1989 in respect of present treatment.
Single leg Double leg Double leg previously single
Accident
Industrial 46 3
Home 17
Recreation 6
Armed Forces 5
Traffic:—Pedestrian 38
Traffic:—Road vehicle:
(i) Two-wheeled: Driver 64
(ii) Two-wheeled: Passenger 6
(iii) Other: Driver 13 1
(iv) Other: Passenger 3
Rail 12 2
Other 17
Accident total 227 6
Disease
Vascular Insufficiency:
(i) Atherosclerosis 1,514 42 100
Single leg Double leg Double leg previously single
(ii) Embolism 107 3
(iii) Thromboangiitis 13
(iv) Varicose Ulceration 22
(v) Other 43 3
Metabolic:—(i) Diabetes 611 29 53
(ii) Other 3
Infective:—Gas Gangrene 15 1 1
(ii) Other 61 3
Malignancy 112
Neurogenic Deformity:—
(i) Acquired 6
(ii) Congenital 19 2 1
Disease—Total 2,526 83 155
Total—all causes 2,753 89 155

Source: Department of Health Statistics and Management Information Division Amputation Statistics 1989 (ISBN 1 85197 5764).

Miss Emma Nicholson

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discernible patterns of leg loss there are in terms of(a) age, (b) occupation, (c) socio-economic group and (d) area of residence.

Mr. Dorrell

This information is not held centrally.