Diabetes in Hispanic Youth

A new study released by affiliates of the American Diabetes Association found that the number of Latino children and youth under the age of 20 years old diagnosed with diabetes is the growing at the highest rate of any ethnic group in the United States.
Type 1 diabetes is growing at an annual rate of 3 percent, with a 23 percent increase over the last 8 years in children and young adults. Type 2 diabetes increased 21 percent in America's youth between 2001-2009, according to the information from the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study.
"Rates of diabetes among Hispanic kids have outpaced other groups both in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes- something we've never seen before and indicative of something we should take seriously," study author Dana Dabelea, MD, PhD, a professor at the University of Colorado in Denver said.
This isn't just limited to Hispanic youth either- one in ten Hispanics over the age of 20 have been diagnosed with diabetes.
Type 1, which used to be called juvenile diabetes, accounts for only 5 to 10% of all diagnosed diabetes cases. It is the result of when the body's immune system attacks and destroys its own insulin producing cells in the pancreas. Type 2 diabetes on the other hand, accounts for 95 to 90% of all diabetes illnesses and was more common in people over the age of 40. Now Type 2 affects an individual if they are overweight or are not getting enough exercise no matter the age.
Elizabeth Mayers-Davis, a doctor and professor at the University of North Carolina told NBC Latino that, "these things (diet and exercise) reduce Type 2 diabetes and can be helpful in terms of managing diabetes. It's also important that your child has already been diagnosed with diabetes, you should work closely with a health care provider to optimize the health of their child."
38.2 percent of Hispanic children between 2 and 19 are overweight or obese, compared to 31.7 percent of all children. What is more alarming is that the National Council of La Raza predicts that one out of every two Latino children born in 2000 will be diagnosed with diabetes.
If you are a diabetic and do not currently see a podiatrist, call our Bristol office to make an appointment.
Richard E. Ehle, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Diabetic Foot Care in CT
Podiatrist in Bristol, CT
Visit our website, friend and like our page on Facebook, and follow my tweets on Twitter.

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• 12 Ways To Never Get Diabetes: Part 1
• Hispanics and Diabetes
• 12 Ways to Never Get Diabetes: Part 2
• 12 Ways to Never Get Diabetes: Part 3

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
Visit our website, friend and like our page on Facebook, and follow my tweets on Twitter.

Related articles

• 12 Ways To Never Get Diabetes: Part 1

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• 12 Ways to Never Get Diabetes: Part 2

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