Hispanics and Diabetes

Hispanics are more than 66 percent more likely to be diagnosed than non-Hispanic whites, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA).
Lack of physical activity, poor diet, and genetics are all leading causes of Type 2 diabetes, a disease that kills more people each year than breast cancer and AIDS combined, according to the ADA. Each of these risk factors is especially high among the Hispanic population, the fastest growing minority group in the US, which has created a perfect storm of diagnosing diabetes.
The APMA "Knock Your Socks Off" campaign urges people with diabetes to take one simple action to help avoid some of the more serious complications of diabetes: Get an annual foot exam from a podiatrist.

"Your feet are a mirror of your health- especially when you have or are at risk for diabetes," says Dr. Ehle. APMA's Knock Your Socks Off campaign encourages people to get an annual foot exam, particularly if you are part of the Hispanic community. Getting a foot exam, along with maintaining a good diet and proper exercise, is vital to staying in control of diabetes and living a healthy life.
According to the Center for Disease Control, 60 to 70 percent of all people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of diabetic nerve damage, which often includes impaired sensation or pain in the feet. Severe forms of nerve damage can lead to diabetic foot ulcers and lower-extremity amputations. However, a Thomson Reuters healthcare study showed the US health-care system could save $3.5 billion annually and dramatically reduce hospitalizations and amputation if every American at risk for a diabetic foot ulcer visited a podiatrist once, before complications set in.
Diabetes tend to strike Hispanics at a younger age than the non-Hispanic white population. The diabetic rate increases with obesity and decreases with education levels. In 2009 roughly 182,000 residents of Connecticut were suffering with diabetes, or 6.7%. In 2002 1,060 amputations were performed because of uncontrolled diabetes, costing the patient $23,561 in hospital bills.
If you are Hispanic and have diabetes, please call our Bristol office today to make an appointment.
Richard E. Ehle, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Diabetic Foot Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Bristol, CT
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