Table 3.
Prevalence and Association of Lymphedema Symptoms and Diagnosis by Household Income
| Household Income, $ a | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lymphedema Signs and Symptoms | ≤10 K (n = 114) | 10,001–20 K (n = 127) | 20,001–40 K (n = 136) | ≥40,001 (n = 137) | P b |
| Self-reported edema | |||||
| Breast | 24 (21.1) | 10 (7.9) | 9 (6.6) | 11 (8.0) | .0074 |
| Axilla | 25 (21.9) | 21 (16.5) | 21 (15.4) | 15 (10.9) | .0218 |
| Arm | 38 (33.3) | 36 (28.3) | 43 (31.6) | 36 (26.3) | .2987 |
| Hand | 22 (19.3) | 27 (21.3) | 25 (18.4) | 19 (13.9) | .1542 |
| Skin hardening | 29 (25.4) | 16 (12.6) | 12 (8.8) | 9 (6.6) | <.0001 |
| Skin pitting | .0599 | ||||
| Stays down like a pit | 18 (15.8) | 8 (6.3) | 12 (8.8) | 9 (6.6) | |
| Comes right back up | 90 (78.9) | 114 (89.8) | 116 (85.2) | 125 (91.2) | |
| Skin does not yield | 4 (3.5) | 1 (0.8) | 1 (0.7) | 2 (1.5) | |
| Skin darkening | 22 (19.3) | 22 (17.3) | 13 (9.6) | 7 (5.1) | .0001 |
| Heaviness from edema | 40 (35.1) | 27 (21.3) | 34 (25.0) | 24 (17.5) | .0062 |
| Lymphedema diagnosisc | 16 (32.7) | 22 (56.4) | 24 (66.7) | 24 (85.7) | .0194 |
a
Values are reported as numbers (percentages) of women unless otherwise indicated. K = thousand.
b
P values for differences between income groups were from Cochran-Armitage tests of trend or the Fisher exact test, when appropriate, for categorical characteristics.
c
Among participants reporting lymphedema signs or symptoms (≤10 K, n = 49; 10,001–20 K, n = 39; 20,001–40 K, n = 36; and ≥ 40,001, n = 28).