| Diabetes
and African American Community in American According to National Diabetes Education Program, “Diabetes is a group of diseases marked by high levels of blood glucose resulting from defects in insulin production, insulin action, or both. Diabetes can lead to serious complications and premature death, but people with diabetes can take steps to control the disease and lower the risk of complications.” Statistics also indicates that diabetes is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the Approximately
3.2 million African Americans ages between
20 years and older (or 13.3 percent) have diabetes and one-third of
whom are
undiagnosed. On average, African Americans are 1.8 times more likely to
have
diabetes as non-Hispanic whites of similar age. This
an
alarming situation.
• Type 1 diabetes—it results when the body's immune system attacks and destroys its own insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. People with type 1 diabetes must have insulin delivered by injection or a pump. Symptoms of type 1 diabetes – increased thirst and urination, constant hunger, weight loss, blurred vision, and extreme fatigue – usually develop over a short period of time. If type 1 diabetes is not diagnosed and treated, a person can lapse into a life-threatening coma. This type 1 diabetes is know as juvenile diabetes. Type 1 diabetes accounts for 5% to 10% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. • Type
2 diabetes—it occurs when the body does not make enough insulin or
cannot
use the insulin it makes effectively. This form of diabetes usually
develops in
adults over the age of 40 but is becoming more prevalent in younger age
groups
including children and adolescents. It is also called adult-onset
diabetes. The
symptoms of type 2 diabetes – feeling tired or ill, unusual thirst,
frequent
urination especially at night, weight loss, blurred vision, frequent
infections, and slow-healing wounds – may develop gradually and may not
be as
noticeable as in type 1 diabetes. Some people have no symptoms. Type 2
diabetes
accounts for about 90% to 95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. The
following factors increase a person’s chances of having type 2
diabetes: a family history of diabetes, being a member of an
ethnic
group such as African Americans, being overweight or obese, having had diabetes while pregnant (gestational diabetes), having high blood pressure, having abnormal cholesterol (lipid) levels, and not getting enough physical activity. • Gestational diabetes develops during pregnancy. Women who have had gestational diabetes have a 20 to 50 percent chance of developing diabetes, mostly type 2, in the next 5 – 10 years Cardiovascular
disease is the leading cause of death for people with diabetes —
accounting for
about 65 percent of all deaths. People with diabetes are 2 to 4 times
more
likely to have heart disease or suffer a stroke than people without
diabetes. People
with type 2 diabetes have the same high risk for heart attack as people
without
diabetes who already have had a heart attack. About
73 percent of people with diabetes also
have high blood pressure. Smoking doubles the risk for heart disease in
people
with diabetes.
Diabetes
is a self-managed disease. People with diabetes
must take responsibility for their day-to-day care. The chances of
having
diabetes complications can be reduced or delayed significantly by
keeping blood
glucose (blood sugar), blood pressure, and cholesterol levels in the
target
range. The National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) recommends the
following targets
for reducing risk of heart disease and stroke for people with diabetes: A1C
(Blood Glucose) Less
than 7 percent (check at least twice a year) Blood
Pressure Less
than 130/80 mmHg (check every doctor’s visit) Cholesterol
(LDL) Less
than 100 mg/dl (check once a year) People
with diabetes can manage their disease by eating
healthy foods, being physically active, taking diabetes medicine as prescribed, and testing blood glucose levels.
Community
education and support programs can help people with diabetes and their
families
to manage their diabetes. The
Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), an important trial
sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, showed that type 2 diabetes can be delayed or prevented in
overweight adults
with pre-diabetes, including African Americans. Pre-diabetes is a
condition
where blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not yet high
enough for
a diagnosis of diabetes. Risk factors for pre-diabetes are the same as
those
listed for type 2 diabetes. To prevent diabetes, the people who
participated in
the DPP study:
For more information about
preventing and
controlling diabetes, call 1-800-438-5383 or visit the National
Diabetes
Education Program’s website at www.ndep.nih.gov. |