Higher Incidence of Diabetes in Asian-American
Asian diabetics vulnerability to the disease is almost invisible. That means doctors and patients often don’t suspect diabetes until patients begin to suffer side effects, such as blurred vision, extreme thirst, excessive urination, or other complications.
In Quincy, where nearly a quarter of the population is Asian-American and at greater risk for diabetes, health officials and community groups are working to educate people about the disease, but it’s not easy.
Asian-Americans are less likely to be obese than whites, but some studies have found they are two to three times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, according to the National Diabetes Education Program. Hsu, director of the Asian clinic at the Joslin Diabetes Center, estimates that at least 10 percent of Asians have the disease.
According to a report released last month by the state Department of Public Health, the number of obese adults rose 80 percent in the state, and diabetes incidence increased by 50 percent between 1990 and 2004. But the study found just 4.4 percent of the state’s 2004 Asian population were counted as obese, while 4.3 percent were diabetic. In contrast, 18.2 percent of the white population were counted as obese, but only 5.4 percent were diabetic.
Doctors are looking at why Asians are more susceptible to diabetes. One theory: While they are often not obese by Western standards, they gather fat in a dangerous area — the abdomen. Even when they are diagnosed and receive reliable care.
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