SaludToday Guest Blogger
Jefferson Dental Clinics Latinos are 1.6 times more likely than Whites to be diagnosed with diabetes. That's bad news for Latino health throughout the body—including the mouth, as diabetics are at higher risk of gum disease and tooth loss. “The mouth connects to health throughout the body," said Dr. Leslie Townsend, regional dental director for Jefferson Dental Clinics. "Numerous illnesses show symptoms in the mouth first; and life-threatening diseases like heart disease, stroke and kidney disease are all connected to poor oral health. Without control, diabetes patients risk serious long-term effects on their whole health.” Here's the problem: diabetes results in high glucose levels in the saliva. Elevated blood sugar levels fuel the bacteria ...
Diabetes is one of the major illnesses that greatly impact Latinos the most. It is also one of the more preventable and treatable illnesses. Do you know how important a healthy diet and exercise are to preventing or controlling diabetes? What's the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes? How often should you check your glucose levels? Let’s use #SaludTues on Nov. 17, 2015, to tweet about all the need-to-know facts about Latinos and diabetes. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Diabetes and Latinos”
TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludToday
CO-HOSTS: USA.gov (@USAgov); Diabetes Hands Foundation (@diabetesHF); U.S. FDA (@FDAenEspanol) Together with our partners, we’ll ...
La retinopatía diabética es una de los tipos de enfermedad más comunes que afecta los ojos de diabéticos. Actualmente esta condición afecta a más de 7 millones de personas en EE.UU y se pronostica que para el 2013 afectara a más de 30 millones, según el instituto nacional de los ojos (NEI). Los latinos, nativos americanos y afroamericanos están a mayor riesgo. “Lamentablemente, solo la mitad de las personas con diabetes se hace un examen completo de los ojos con dilatación de las pupilas.” según lo ha expuesto el experto del Instituto Nacional del Ojo, el Dr. Eduardo Alfonso. “Este examen es clave para detectar la enfermedad diabética del ojo en sus primeras etapas, cuando se puede tratar efectivamente.” Las enfermedades de diabetes en el ojo incluyen ...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 50% of all post-Millennial youths will be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes during their lifetime. Latinos are the group that is likely to be the most susceptible to the disease. Two nursing school students from Arizona State University (ASU), Tatianna Alvarado and Jamie Karch have taken on roles in a community-based diabetes prevention program aimed at Latino youths called “Every Little Step Counts.” “Many of my family members have diabetes and my mother is a type 2 diabetic,” Alvarado said. “The last year of high school I took care of her. I’d interact with her, told her what diabetes was … but there was only so much I could do as a daughter.” The program is funded by a $1.2 grant from the ...
Diabetes in pregnant women is linked with several heart and other structural birth defects. However, not only is maternal diabetes associated with fetal heart defects, but even pregnant women without diabetes are at risk for having babies with heart defects. According to the Maternal Midpregnancy Glucose Levels and Risk of Congenital Heart Disease in Offspring study, pregnant mothers with elevated glucose or insulin, which are both associated with obesity, are at increased risk for having babies with congenital heart problems. Read more about this study here. Read about this study in Spanish here. Access the Maternal Midpregnancy Glucose Levels and Risk of Congenital Heart Disease in Offspring study ...
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the approval of Dexcom G5, a mobile continuous glucose monitoring system (CGM). This new system could be a great relief for the 12.8 percent of Latinos living with diabetes. How will it work? The user will carry a Bluetooth enable device attached to his/her body which will measure the levels of glucose under the skin,it will then send the information to the user's smartphone. According to Dexcom, Inc this is the first system of its kind approved by the FDA to measure glucose levels in the blood in adults and children as young as 2 years old. "Dexcom is rapidly advancing technology for continuous glucose monitoring devices to improve diabetes management. Since January, the company has introduced the G4 PLATINUM CGM ...
Diabetics are more susceptible to oral infections such as gingivitis and periodontitis than those that don’t suffer from diabetes, Univision Salud reports. Lower flow of saliva among diabetics causes burning sensations in the mouth skyrocketing the incidence of cavities and other infections. And those “who don’t control their sugar levels tend to have more oral health problems, particularly dental gum retractions.” Gingivitis and periodontitis are the most common oral health problems among diabetics, but more serious ones such as Thrush (candidiasis) it's also common. The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) recommends: Control glucose levels in the blood
Brush your teeth and use dental floss every day
Visit your dentist ...
Numerous diseases can be detected early with an eye exam. According to a recent report by CBS News “61 million American adults are at risk for losing their eyesight, but only half visited an eye doctor in the past year.” Latino adults, who many lack the financial resources or insurance to visit an eye doctor regularly- are also at risk. Among the diseases that can be diagnosed early with an eye exam are: diabetes, high blood pressure and stroke. "The eye is unique in the body," Dr. Christopher Starr, an ophthalmologist at Weill Cornell Medical Center told CBS News "We can examine blood vessels, we can even examine the brain - the optic nerve is part of the brain - and we can see that in great detail on our eye exams. It's the only place in the body where that's ...
Exercise during the early years of puberty can reduce risk of diabetes-- especially among Latinos who are particularly at higher risk, Univision Salud reports. A study led by UK researchers and published in Diabetologia, found physical activity lowered the risk of insulin resistance syndrome (a condition that can cause type 2 diabetes). The study measured using electric motion sensors, “the levels of insulin resistance in 300 children between 9-16 years old to determine what kind of impact physical activity had on insulin resistance and other metabolic levels. “ The study revealed, 13 years old who exercise regularly reduced their insulin resistance levels by 17 percent and exercise can continue to reduce insulin resistance to near zero levels in the following three ...
