Hispanic and Latino Americans Are More Likely to Have Type 2 Diabetes: CDC

By Madelaine D. First Posted: Nov 28, 2020 05:39 AM EST

Hispanic and Latino Americans are more likely to have diabetes than non-Hispanic whites, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study.

Hispanic and Latino Americans Are More Likely to Have Type 2 Diabetes, CDC Reveals

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Victims Of El Paso Walmart Shooting Remembered On First Anniversary EL PASO, TEXAS - AUGUST 03: People hold 23 crosses in front of a Walmart honoring those killed in the Walmart shooting which left 23 people dead in a racist attack targeting Latinos on August 3, 2020 in El Paso, Texas. Today marks the first anniversary of the deadliest attack against Hispanics in modern U.S. history. A number of memorial events are planned amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the Texas city which sits along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The CDC claims that the adjusted percentage of Hispanic adults with diagnosed or undiagnosed type 2 diabetes was 22 percent, slightly higher than non-Hispanic Asians and Blacks and significantly 10 percent higher non-Hispanic whites.

Study findings also reveal differences in diabetes prevalence among subgroups. The adjusted percentage of adults living with both diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes were 25 percent for Mexicans, 22 percent for Puerto Ricans, 21 percent for Cuban/Dominicans, 19 percent for Central Americans, and 12 percent for South Americans.

Hispanic and Latino adults are more likely to have diabetes as well in earlier life. When they already have type 2 diabetes, complications hit harder, like higher kidney failure rates due to diabetes and other diabetes-related vision loss and blindness.

An internal medicine physician at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago, Dr. Carlos Mella-Picel, said almost 80 percent Hispanic or Latino patients he treats, diabetes is the most common medical issue.

Health News reported that education and cultural relationships to food and general wells are at the center of the issue. At the same time, Hispanics and Latinos have a genetic predisposition to develop diabetes.

Mella-Picel said diabetes and all its complications can be prevented early by having a balanced diet, an active lifestyle, and an ongoing relationship with a health care provider.

He added that "despite the fact that type 2 diabetes is prevalent in the Hispanic and Latino communities, we find that very often the level of awareness is very low and not proportion to the risk that our patients have to develop it."

Mella-Picel said that many activities and celebrations are focused on big meals as a symbol of communion and hospitality, neglecting the base diet and acquiring many high-calorie dishes.

The doctor also noted that Hispanic and Latino people couldn't be selective regarding their habits and diets or have appropriate access to health care experts.

Here are the early signs of diabetes, according to Health ENews:

Frequent urination, particularly at night.
Constant feeling of thirst and drinking large amounts of water,
Feeling fatigued for no reason
Unintentional losing of weight.

Side effects in more advanced cases could include:

Blurred vision and unusual feet and hands numbness
Frequent urinary tract and yeast infections
Minor injuries on the skin take longer to heal and is prone to infection.

Meanwhile, Mella-Picel observed that younger patients becoming more involved and aware of the value of taking care of their medical needs.

He said patients with questions on preventing or managing type 2 diabetes should make an appointment with a doctor.

Hispanics hospitalized with COVID-19 about four times higher

Hispanic, Black, and Native American people diagnosed with the coronavirus are four times more likely to be hospitalized than others, a CDC data also showed.

According to Wesh, between March 1 to November 7, there are 70,825 hospitalizations reported to the CDC. The rate for Hispanics and Latino is approximately 4.2 times higher than the rate of non-Hispanic people, as per the CDC data.