Health & Prosperity: November is American Diabetes Prevention Month
By: Ricardo E. Calderon
Copyright 2013 Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc.
The month of November 2013 is American Diabetes Prevention Month in the United States. Over 18.8 million children and adults in the United States are diagnosed with diabetes, totaling 8.3% of Americans. Another 7 million Americans are undiagnosed with diabetes while a whopping 79 million Americans are pre-diabetic. A total of 1.9 million of adults over age 20 were newly diagnosed with diabetes in 2010. In 2007, diabetes was listed as the primary cause of death of 71,382 Americans’ death certificates while another 160,022 Americans’ death certificates listed diabetes as the secondary cause of death, totaling 231,404 deaths in America.
The health and social consequences of diabetes in the United States are significant and costly to human health and life.
According to the American Diabetes Association, a total of 11.8% of Hispanics over the age of 20 years old in the United States have diabetes compared to 7.1% of non-Hispanic Whites, 8.4% of Asian-Americans, and 12.6% of non-Hispanic Blacks. Among Hispanics over the age of 20 years old, 7.6% of Cubans, 13.3% of Mexican-Americans, and 13.8% of Puerto Ricans have diabetes. Eagle Pass and Maverick County, Texas is no exception with 95% of its county population being Hispanic, mostly of Mexican-American descent. Diabetes is widespread in Maverick County and some local health care providers estimate that one out of four (25%) Maverick Countians who are adults over the age of 20 years old are diabetic.
The health consequences of diabetes are numerous including heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, blindness, kidney disease, nervous system disease (Neuropathy), amputation, and many others. Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates about 2 to 4 times higher than adults without diabetes. The risk for stroke is 2 to 4 times higher for people with diabetes than non-diabetic people. In 2004, heart disease was noted on the diabetes-related death certificates of 68% of adults over the age of 65 years old while stroke was noted on 16% of the diabetes-related death certificates of adults over the age of 65 years old. All of these diseases are prevalent in Maverick County.
High blood pressure is another consequence of diabetes. For example, during 2005-2008 67% of adults over 20 years of age with diabetes had blood pressure greater than or equal to 140/90mmHG and used prescription medication for hypertension.
Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among Americans over the age of 20 years old. During 2005-2008, 4.2 million people with diabetes (28.5%) aged 40 years or older had diabetic retinopathy, and of these, almost 0.7 million of those with diabetes (4.4%) had advanced diabetic retinopathy that could lead to severe vision loss.
Diabetes is also the leading cause of new cases of kidney disease (44%) in the United States. In 2008, 48,374 people with diabetes began treatment for end-stage kidney disease while another 202,290 people with end-stage kidney disease due to diabetes were living on chronic kidney dialysis or with a kidney transplant in the United States. Maverick County has two kidney dialysis clinics to provide dialysis treatment to those afflicted with end-stage kidney disease in the community.
The nervous system is also affected by diabetes with 60% to 70% of people with diabetes having mild to severe forms of nervous system damage.
Amputation of limbs is also a consequence of diabetes with 60% of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations are people with diabetes in the United States. For example, in 2006 a total of 65,700 non-traumatic lower-limb amputations were performed on people with diabetes in the United States.
The economic cost of diabetes in the United States is astronomical: $245 Billion per year. In 2012, Americans with diabetes direct medical costs totaled $176 Billion while another $69 Billion was lost to work productivity as a result of people with diabetes.
Every American should consult with their medical doctor to determine if they are diabetic, pre-diabetic, or none. A healthy balanced diet with plenty of vegetables and fruits and an active lifestyle with plenty of exercise is recommended to avoid becoming diabetic.
The Maverick County Hospital District offers the professional services of medical doctors who treat people with diabetes such as a cardiologist in Dr. James J. Galizia, an endocrinologist in Dr. Zandra Perez-Cadena, and surgeons in Dr. Luis Gutierrez-Perry and Dr. Alfonso Trevino-Aguirre. For more information, please call The Physicians Specialty Group at (830) 757-4900 or visit them at 3406 Bob Rogers Drive in Eagle Pass, Texas.
The Maverick County Hospital District also offers a Diabetes Self-Management Education Program for adults diagnosed with diabetes under the direction of Sister Ursula Herrera, R.N.. For more information about the Diabetes Self-Management Education Program at the Maverick County Hospital District, please call Sister Ursula Herrera at (830) 757-8333 or visit them at 3406 Bob Rogers Drive in Eagle Pass.
During the month of November, we need to pay attention to our personal and family’s health and respect the severe consequences if we do not take care of our health today, such as diabetes. We also need to care for and assist those persons in the community diagnosed with diabetes and other diseases. Working together as a community will ensure a healthy and prosperous life for everyone.
*Ricardo E. Calderon was elected on November 6, 2012 to serve as a Board of Trustee of the Maverick County Hospital District.
