Diabetes is the fifth-deadliest disease in the United States, and it has no cure. The total annual economic cost of diabetes in 2002 was estimated to be $132 billion, or one out of every 10 healthcare dollars spent in the United States.
Prevalence
- The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is 4.5 times higher in Latinos than non-Latino whites.
- Two million, or 8.2%, of all Latino Americans aged 20 years or older have diabetes.
- Approximately 24% of Mexican Americans in the United States and 26% of Puerto Ricans between the ages of 45-74 have diabetes.
- Nearly 16% of Cuban Americans in the United States between the ages of 45-74 have diabetes
Latino and Diabetes-related complications
- Diabetic retinopathy is a term used for all abnormalities of the small blood vessels of the retina cased by diabetes, such as weakening of the vessel walls or leakage from blood vessels. The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in Mexican Americans is 32%-40%
- Diabetes is the leading cause of tend stage renal disease (kidney failure), accounting for 43% of new cases. In 2000, there were 41,046 people with diabetes that initiated treatment for end stage renal disease (kidney failure), and 129,183 underwent dialysis or kidney transplantation. Among people with diabetes, Mexican Americans are 4.5 to 6.6 time more likely to suffer from end stage renal disease.
