Thousands in Coachella Valley Live with Undiagnosed Diabetes

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According to a new survey from the Health Assessment and Research for Communities (HARC), a Palm Desert, California nonprofit that specializes in health-related surveying and data, one in 10 adults in California’s Coachella Valley (74.1% Latino population) have been diagnosed with diabetes, yet even more are living with the disease undiagnosed or are at high-risk for developing the disease.

HARC determined that 10.3% of adults living in the area (a total of over 36,000 people) have been diagnosed with diabetes, a rise in the prevalence of the disease from 2010 when the survey found 9.1% have been diagnosed.

Researchers have long known that people of Latinos are at higher risk for type 2 diabetes than Whites. The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) found that the prevalence of total diabetes (both diagnosed and undiagnosed) among all Hispanic/Latino groups was roughly 16.9 percent for both men and women, compared to 10.2 percent for non-Hispanic whites.

The latest HARC report also found that more than 6,800 individuals have been told they have pre-diabetes. It was also estimated by the report that 13,000 more people have diabetes but have not been diagnosed. The local prevalence of diabetes is slightly higher than the national rate and higher than the rate for California as a whole. In Coachella Valley, it is also nearly twice the overall rate for Riverside County

“The problem with diabetes is you can feel pretty good and have it for a time,” said Yuri Krochmaluk, a registered nurse and diabetes educator at the Eisenhower Medical Center Diabetes Program, which offers regular free classes to teach people about diabetes and how to manage it. “Untreated diabetes can slowly damage a person’s eyes, kidneys, and heart.”

Across the country, 1.4 million people are annually diagnosed with diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) rank diabetes as the seventh leading cause of death in the country, ahead of the flu and pneumonia.

The HARC survey found that adults in Coachella Valley with diabetes were more than likely to be men over the age of 55. Most were retired and nearly 25% were military veterans. It was recommended by the report that more outreach be done for people who have not had their diabetes diagnosed and that more opportunities need to be created for disease management education for those already in treatment.

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