 Every November, the American Diabetes Association encourages the public to learn more about the disease that affects 7 percent of the U.S. population, or 20.8 million children and adults.
Diabetes is a serious disease that affects the body's ability to
produce or respond properly to insulin, a hormone that allows blood
glucose (sugar) to enter the cells of the body and be used for energy.
It is the fifth deadliest disease in the U.S., and it has no cure.
There are three major types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes results from
the body's failure to produce insulin; Type 2 diabetes results from the
body's failure to properly use insulin; and Gestational diabetes occurs
in pregnant women who have high blood sugar levels during pregnancy.
According to the National Diabetes Education Program, diabetes is one
of the most serious health issues affecting Hispanics in the United
States. It is the sixth-leading cause of death among Hispanics and the
fourth-leading cause of death among Latinas and Hispanic elders.
On average, about 2.5 million, or 9.5 percent of Hispanic Americans
aged 20 years or older have been diagnosed with diabetes. Hispanic
diabetics are less likely to treat the disease than other diabetes
patients, putting them at a higher risk of developing and dying from
the disease, and making them twice as likely as other populations to
experience complications such as heart disease, high blood pressure,
blindness, kidney disease, amputations and nerve damage.
Facts about Hispanics and Diabetes
- The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes is two times higher among Hispanics than among non-Hispanic whites.
- Approximately 24 percent of Mexican-Americans in the United
States and 26 percent of Puerto Ricans between the ages of 45 and 74
have diabetes. About 16 percent of Cuban-Americans in this same age
group also have diabetes.
- Diabetes has an earlier onset in Hispanics than in other
populations. Among Puerto Ricans and Mexican-Americans, the age of
onset is 30 to 50 years old.
- On average, Hispanics are almost twice as likely to have diabetes
as non-Hispanic whites of similar age, while diabetes is two to three
times more common in Mexican-American and Puerto Rican adults than in
non-Hispanic whites.
- Cuban-Americans have a lower rate of diabetes than
Mexican-Americans and Puerto Ricans, but still higher than that of
non-Hispanic whites.
- The rates of Type 2 diabetes are 110% higher among
Mexican-Americans and 120% higher among Puerto Ricans than among
non-Hispanic whites.
- Obesity and physical inactivity are the main risk factors for diabetes among Hispanic Americans.
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