Diabetes is having a devastating effect on the African American community. Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death for African Americans and their death rate is 27% higher than that of whites.
Over 2.8 million African Americans have diabetes and one-third of them are unaware that they have the disease. In addition, 25% of African Americans between the ages of 65 and 74 have diabetes and one in four they have diagnosed African American women over the age of 55 with the disease.
The cause of diabetes is a mystery, but researchers believe that genetic and environmental factors play a role in the disease's development.
Heredity
Researchers believe that African-Americans and African immigrants are predisposed to developing diabetes. Research suggests that African Americans and recent African immigrants have inherited a “thrifty gene” from their African ancestors.
This gene would have allowed Africans to use food energy more efficiently during feast and famine cycles. Today, with fewer feast and famine cycles, this gene may make weight control more difficult for African Americans and African immigrants.
This genetic predisposition, coupled with glucose intolerance, is often associated with a genetic tendency to high blood pressure. People with impaired glucose tolerance have higher than normal blood sugar levels and are at higher risk of developing diabetes.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes, commonly known as “diabetes mellitus”, is a disease that occurs when the body cannot produce or properly use insulin. The body needs insulin to convert sugar, starches, and other foods into energy. Diabetes is a chronic disease for which there is no known cure. Diabetes is a serious disease that should not be ignored.
People with diabetes often have low blood glucose (sugar) levels. Low blood sugar can cause disorientation, dizziness, sweating, hunger, headaches, sudden mood swings, difficulty paying attention or tingling around the mouth.
Types of diabetes
Pre-diabetes is a condition that occurs when a person’s blood sugar is higher than normal, but not high enough for a diagnosis of type II diabetes. Pre-diabetes can cause damage to the heart and circulatory system, but it can often be controlled by controlling blood sugar. By controlling pre-diabetes, you can often prevent or delay the onset of type II diabetes.
Diabetes Type 1, or juvenile diabetes, usually strikes people under the age of 20, but can occur at any age. Five to ten percent of African Americans diagnosed with diabetes have this type of disease. Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the body produces little or no insulin. This type of diabetes must be treated with daily injections of insulin.
Diabetes Type 2 or adult-onset diabetes accounts for ninety to ninety-five percent of diagnosed diabetes cases in African Americans. Type II results from a condition in which the body does not properly use insulin. According to the American Diabetes Association, “we usually find Type II in people who are older than 45, have diabetes in their family, are overweight, do not exercise and have cholesterol problems.” In the early stages, it can often be controlled by lifestyle changes, but in the later stages, diabetic pills or insulin injections are often needed.
Pregnancy-related diabetes or gestational diabetes can occur in pregnant women. We often associate gestational diabetes with high blood glucose levels or hyperglycemia. Gestational diabetes affects about four percent of all pregnant women. The condition usually goes away after delivery, but women with gestational diabetes have a higher risk of developing diabetes later in life.
Diabetes Symptoms
The most common symptoms of diabetes are:
excessive urination, including frequent visits to the bathroom
increased thirst
increased appetite
blurred vision,
unusual weight loss
increased fatigue
irritability
Complications of Diabetes
Diabetes can lead to many disabling and life-threatening complications. Stroke, blindness, kidney failure, heart disease and amputations are common complications for African Americans with diabetes.
Kidney disease
“Diabetes is the second leading cause of end-stage renal disease among African Americans, accounting for approximately 30 percent of recent cases each year,” says the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois. Up to twenty-one percent of people with diabetes will develop kidney disease.
Amputations
Diabetes is the leading cause of non-traumatic lower extremity amputations in the United States. Over sixty percent of non-traumatic lower limb amputations in America occur in people with diabetes, and African Americans are almost three times more likely to have a lower limb amputation because of diabetes than whites. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), approximately 82,000 nontraumatic lower limb amputations were performed on people with diabetes in 2001.
Blindness
African Americans are twice as likely to suffer from diabetes-related blindness. People with diabetes can develop a condition called diabetic retinopathy, a disease affecting the blood vessels in the eye, which can lead to visual impairment and blindness. Diabetes is the leading cause of new blindness in people between the ages of 20 and 74, and up to 24,000 people lose their sight each year because of diabetes.
Heart Disease
People with diabetes are up to four times more likely to develop heart disease than people without diabetes. Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) is more common in people with diabetes and can lead to an increased risk of heart attack, stroke and poor circulation throughout the body.
Risk Factors for Diabetes
You have a higher risk of developing diabetes if you have any of the following factors:
Obesity
Family history of diabetes
Pre-diabetes
Low physical activity
Age over 45
High blood pressure
High blood triglyceride levels
HDL cholesterol below 35
Previous diabetes during pregnancy or baby weighing over 10 pounds
Diabetes has had a devastating effect on the African American community; it is the fifth leading cause of death and the second leading cause of end-stage renal disease in African Americans.
African Americans suffer from diabetes-related complications at a much higher rate than the rest of the population. African Americans are three times more likely to have a lower limb amputated because of diabetes and twice as likely to suffer from diabetes-related blindness.
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If you have any of the risk factors for diabetes, contact your doctor and have your blood sugar tested. Also, talk to your doctor about lifestyle changes you can make to reduce your risk of developing diabetes.
