Blacks Hit by Diabetes Epidemic

Diabetes epidemic that is sweeping the U.S. is hitting the African American community particularly hard! 

The facts are clear: The, according to doctors. They report: Of the 16 million Americans with diabetes, an estimated 2.3 million are African Americans. For every six white Americans who develop diabetes, 10 African Americans develop the disease. Death rates in people with diabetes are 27 percent higher for African Americans compared with whites.

African Americans with diabetes are more likely to develop diabetes complications and experience greater disability from the complications than whites. These include kidney failure, vision impairment and amputations. Meanwhile, the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston has recently received initial funding from Alameda, CA-based TheraSense, which manufactures and markets the FreeStyle blood glucose monitoring system, to begin a diabetes awareness campaign targeted specifically at African Americans.

"This effort is particularly timely given the results of a recent study by the Harvard School of Public Health published in the March 13 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association showing a gap in the quality of health care African Americans receive in many areas, including diabetes," said a spokesperson. "Research shows that people with diabetes can have a profound influence on how the disease affects them long-term and short-term. People who effectively use weight management, diet, exercise, home blood sugar monitoring and medication to keep their blood sugars in as close to normal a range as possible can reduce their risk of diabetes complications by nearly 60 percent."

FACT: 

High blood pressure affects 71 percent of people with diabetes but few of them receive adequate treatment to achieve recommended levels, according to a new study.

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