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Home » Health Articles » Diabetes African Americans Deadly Foe

Diabetes: African Americans Deadly Foe

Diabetes is having a devastating effect on the African American community. Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death in African Americans and their death rates are twenty seven percent higher than whites.

Over 2.8 million African Americans have diabetes and one third of them dont know they have the disease. In addition, twenty five percent of African Americans between the ages of 65 74 have diabetes and one in four African American women, over the age of 55, have been diagnosed with the disease

The cause of diabetes is a mystery, but researchers believe that both genetics and environmental factors play roles in who will develop the disease.

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 may have enabled Africans to use food energy more efficiently during cycles of feast and famine. Now, with fewer cycles of feast and famine, this gene may make weight control more difficult for African Americans and African Immigrants.

This genetic predisposition, coupled with impaired glucose tolerance, is often associated with the genetic tendency toward high blood pressure. People with impaired glucose tolerance have higher than normal blood glucose levels and are at a higher risk for developing diabetes.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes, commonly know as sugar diabetes, is a condition that occurs when the body is unable to properly produce or use insulin. Insulin is needed by the body to process sugar, starches and other foods into energy. Diabetes is a chronic condition for which there is no known cure; diabetes is a serious disease and should not be ignored.

Diabetics often suffer from low glucose levels (sugar) in their blood. Low blood sugar levels can make you disorientated, dizzy, sweaty, hungry, have headaches, have sudden mood swings, have difficulty paying attention, or have tingling sensations around the mouth.

Types of Diabetes

Pre-diabetes is a condition that occurs when a person's blood glucose levels 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 pre-diabetes can often be controlled by controlling blood glucose levels. By controlling pre-diabetes you can often prevent or delay the onset of Type II diabetes.

Type I or juvenile-onset diabetes usually strikes people under the age of 20, but can strike at any age. Five to ten percent of African Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes are diagnosed with this type of the disease. Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the body produces little or no insulin and this type of diabetes must be treated with daily insulin injections.

Type II or adult onset diabetes is responsible for ninety to ninety-five percent of diagnosed diabetes cases in African Americans. Type II results from a condition where the body fails to properly use insulin. According to the American Diabetes Association, Type II is usually found in people over 45, who have diabetes in their family, who are overweight, who don't exercise and who have cholesterol problems. In the early stages it can often be controlled with 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. Gestational diabetes is often associated with high glucose blood levels or hyperglycemia. Gestational diabetes affects about four percent of all pregnant women. The disease usually goes away after delivery, but women who suffer from gestational diabetes are at a higher risk for developing diabetes later in life.

Symptoms of Diabetes

The most common symptoms of diabetes include:

excessive urination including frequent trips to the bathroom

increased thirst

increased appetite

blurred vision

unusual weight loss

increased fatigue

irritability

Complications from Diabetes

Diabetes can lead to many disabling and life threatening complications. Strokes, blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, and amputations are common complications that effect African Americans who have diabetes

Kidney Disease

Diabetes is the second leading cause of end stage kidney disease in African Americans, accounting for about thirty percent of the new cases each year, says the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois. Up to twenty-one percent of people who develop diabetes will develop kidney disease.

Amputations

Diabetes is the leading cause of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations in the United States. More than sixty percent of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations in America occur among people with diabetes and African Americans are almost three times more likely to have a lower limb amputated due to diabetes than whites. According to Center for Disease Control (CDC), about 82,000 non-traumatic lower-limb amputations were performed among people with diabetes in 2001.

Blindness

African Americans are twice as likely to suffer from diabetes related blindness. Diabetics can develop a condition called Diabetic Retinopathy, a disease affecting the blood vessels of the eye, which can lead to impaired vision and blindness. Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in people from 20 74 years of age and up to 24,000 people loose their sight each year because of diabetes.

Heart Disease

People with diabetes are up to four times more likely to develop heart disease as people who dont have diabetes. Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) is more common in diabetics and can lead to increased risk of heart attacks, stroke, and poor circulation throughout the body.

Diabetes Risk Factors

You have a greater risk for developing diabetes if you have any of the following:

Obesity

Family history of diabetes

Pre-diabetes

Low physical activity

Age greater than 45 years

High blood pressure

High blood levels of triglycerides

HDL cholesterol of less than 35

Previous diabetes during pregnancy or baby weighing more than 9 pounds

Diabetes has had a devastating effect on the African American community; it is the fifth leading cause of death and second leading cause of end stage kidney disease in African Americans.

African Americans suffer from complications from diabetes 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.

If you have any of the diabetes risk factors you should contact your physician and have a blood glucose test. Also discuss with your physician lifestyle changes you can take to lower your chances of developing diabetes.

And here is another random article you might be interested in...

5 Myths About Mortgage Points

Mortgage points are one of the most misunderstood concepts in the mortgage world. On the surface, points are scary, and many consumers equate points with mortgage scams and unnecessary junk fees. However, nothing could be further from the truth.

If utilized correctly, points can be used to save you thousands of dollars through properly structuring your mortgage. So, first of all, what are points?

One point is equivalent to 1% of the loan amount. So, if you are obtaining a $300,000 mortgage, one point equals $3000. Points come in two categories, origination and discount points. Although both origination and discount points are technically the same thing, origination points are typically a fee that a mortgage company charges to do your loan where as discount points are points used to discount the mortgage or lower your rate.

The 5 Myths:

So now that you understand the basics of what mortgage points are, here are the 5 most common myths about mortgage points.

1. Points are a fee that goes to the lender. Technically, this is correct. Points do go to the broker, however, an honest broker will help you obtain a lower interest rate if you choose to pay points.

2. Points must be charged on every transaction. Not true. Brokers get paid two ways- through points and/or through "yield spread premium" or a percentage paid to them directly from the lender. If the broker charges points, the yield spread premium will be zero or negative, and if the broker does not charge points, he or she will make a percentage from the lender for their services. Here is an example:

"No Points" Loan
Program: 30 year fixed
Loan Amount: $200,000
Rate: 6.375%
Points: 0
Cost of points: $0
Monthly payment: $1247.74

"One Point" Loan
Program: 30 year fixed
Loan Amount: $200,000
Rate: 6.0%
Points: 1
Cost of points: $2000
Monthly Payment: $1199.10

Points should always be your choice. In this scenario, you would save $48.64 per month in the form of a lower payment by paying an up front point cost of $2000. Carefully consider whether you will be in the home long enough to recover the cost of the points before making this decision.

3. Points are tax deductible. This is partially true. When you purchase a home, points are tax deductible in their entirety in the year you purchase the home. In a refinance transaction, you must "amortize" the cost of the points over the term of the loan. In other words, if you have a 30 year loan, in the case of a refinance, you can only write off 1/30th of the cost of the points each year for 30 years.

4. Points are paid up front. Many consumer mistakenly think that mortgage points must be paid out of pocket before their transaction closes. This is not true. Points are charged at closing as part of the settlement charges.

5. Points can be used to buy down the rate as low as you want to go. Points are used to obtain a lower interest rate, however, some clients have asked me if they can pay, for example, 5 points to lower their rate to an extremely low rate. Unfortunately, this cannot be accomplished for two reasons.

First of all, predatory lending laws prohibit a broker's total fees to exceed a certain percentage of the loan amount. Second, there is always a threshold with every loan program where the lender makes it unattractive to continue to buy down the rate. In other words, perhaps you can "buy down" the rate .375% for each of the first two points. The lender will likely make it unattractive to use additional points, only allowing you to better your rate by .125% for each additional point beyond 2 points. This is because there is an ebb and flow of money in the economy, and mortgage paper at an unusually low rate is not as hot of a commodity for lenders to have in their portfolio.

I hope that you now feel more comfortable with the concept of mortgage points. It is critical that you find an honest mortgage broker who is looking out for your best interests and can give you an analysis of the long term effects of different loan structures based on your unique situation. With hundreds of loan programs available in the marketplace, it is only through careful consideration of your needs and long term financial goals that the right decision can be made.