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Press Release
Diabetes
Increasing along U.S.-Mexico Border
October 31, 2007,
El Paso,
Texas
El Paso,
Texas, Oct. 31, 2007 — Diabetes has become the leading cause
of death in Mexico and the third-leading cause of death among those
living along the U.S. side of the border, health officials from the
United States and Mexico said today in presenting the results of a new
study coordinated by the Pan American Health
Organization (PAHO).
Analyzing data from
both sides of the U.S.–Mexico border, the study finds that type 2
diabetes is increasing throughout border area, along with risk factors
for the disease. Some 1.1 million border residents 18 and older suffer
from type 2 diabetes, and 836,000 are pre-diabetic. Nearly 22 percent of
those with type 2 diabetes are unaware they have the disease.
“It is a serious
problem when nearly a quarter of border residents who have diabetes do
not know their health status. It means they cannot take the basic steps
to prevent the progression of the disease and its complications,” said
Dr. María Teresa Cerqueira, Chief of PAHO’s U.S.–Mexico Border Office.
The findings of the
study were presented today at a Community Forum in El Paso, Texas, by
representatives of PAHO’s U.S.–Mexico Border Office, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Secretariat of Health (SSA) of
Mexico, and more than 130 local and state governmental and
nongovernmental organizations concerned about the growing public health
burden of type 2 diabetes. The study is based on data collected between
2000 and 2002 in 16
U.S.
counties and 28 Mexican municipalities.
According to survey
data in the study, only four in 10 residents with type 2 diabetes
monitored their blood sugar levels during the 12 months prior to the
study.
“Poor disease
management and control produce higher rates of complications from
diabetes, leading to lowered quality of life, physical disability and
earlier mortality,” said Dr. Agustin Lara,
Director of the Elderly Health Program of
Mexico’s Secretariat of Health.
Dr. Rosalba Ruiz,
coordinator of the PAHO Diabetes Project, noted that in 2002, health
care for people with diabetes cost some $13,243 per capita per year.
“Considering that diabetes alone represents 11 percent of
U.S.
health care expenditures, there is a very serious concern that in a
short period of time the health systems in both countries will be
overwhelmed by the needs of those who suffer from this disease.”
Among other findings, the study shows
that 90 percent of border residents suffering from diabetes are
overweight or obese: 3 out of 10 are overweight, and 6 out of 10 are obese.
“Obesity and
overweight are among the most important risk factors of type 2 diabetes,
which is a preventable condition,” said Dr. Cerqueira.
The study also finds
that 1.8 million border residents overall suffer from hypertension, and
among people with diabetes, 36 percent suffer from hypertension.
About 61 percent of diabetes sufferers in the
border region have at least one other family member with the disease,
according to the study. Family history of diabetes is an important risk
factor, noted Dr. Cerqueira, and people with such a history should
self-monitor their health status and seek advice during routine health
checkups to detect subclinical stages of the disease.
PAHO and the World Health Organization
recommend primary disease prevention, good nutrition, and physical
activity as part of a healthy lifestyle that can prevent or delay the
development of diabetes and reduce the need for health care services to
treat its complications.
The border diabetes
research project is the first to analyze the U.S.–Mexico border region
as a single epidemiological unit. Researchers selected a representative
sample from the entire population 18 years and older on both sides of
the border. The study included a survey with 65 questions and clinical
measures for weight, height, waist circumference, blood pressure, and
blood glucose levels.
For additional
information on the results of the study and recommendations on diabetes
management and prevention, visit www.fep.paho.org.
CONTACT: For
more information, please contact Piedad Huerta, Spokesperson, Pan
American Health Organization, tel. (915)845-5950 ext. 14, email
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;
or Terri Medrano, Communications Assistant at (915) 845-5950
ext. 29, email
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