Diabetes: An immanent danger directly affecting Brownsvillians and the RGV.
Type 2 Diabetes mellitus is now being designated as a world wide epidemic with increasing prevalence in the United States and causing great concern. Before we start, first I want the people of Brownsville to fully understand what diabetes is. Before any efforts to improve care and prevention, we first need to understand the disease with a consensus in a local community setting (Brownsville and the cities of the RGV).
Diabetes is a complex disease in which blood glucose (sugar) levels are higher than normal. When we eat, blood sugar levels increase because our body immediately starts chemically converting our food into sugar and furthermore into energy. The pancreas is a specialized organ that makes a hormone called insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps your body cells take up that sugar and then normalize your blood sugar. With diabetes your body can not make insulin (Type 1,genetic) or your body cells are insensitive to insulin (Type 2). What does this mean? If you have diabetes, when you eat your blood glucose (sugar) will rise and rise and either you do not make insulin or do not respond to insulin so sugar builds up in your blood. Diabetes can cause serious health complications including heart disease, blindness and glaucoma, kidney failure, and leg down amputations.
The LRGV including (Cameron,Hidalgo, and Starr Counties) have some of the highest prevalence rates of Type 2 diabetes and diabetes related deaths in Texas. It is estimated anywhere from 40-50% of adults over the age of 40 have diabetes or prediabetes. Diabetes prevalence in valley residents (Brownsville-Harlingen and PSJA-McAllen areas) of all ages has been estimated to be as high as 21% including children and teenagers.
Facing the problem not just walking away: Even with some of the highest prevalence rates of diabetes in the state, emphasis here in Brownsville is strictly on treatment and NOT PREVENTION. Preventive measures are taken and implemented only when the patients are already diagnosed with diabetes and only to slow down progression of the disease. It is time to start facing the facts and statistics, Brownsvillians are overweight and obese, well most of us. Our immediate area needs immediate attention.
How to help: Diabetes experts recommend changes in the US health care system, including an great increase in attention to diabetes prevention and obesity. Obesity has a direct link with diabetes and most of the local community is overweight or obese. As a Brownsville citizen, I would like to see our politicians and city leaders help our community. How can they help: First of all they can start conversations with Texas Department of Health officials in trying to get a diabetes prevention center here in Brownsville. Not only do we need a diabetes education and prevention center, but we need to built a center to house and care for diabetics. Thousands and Thousands of Brownsville citizens have diabetics. Prevention of diabetes is very important but, we can not forgot the Brownsville citizens that are already experiencing the wrath of the disease. Our city leaders should be trying to get funding by state and government diabetes organizations to bring an exclusive Diabetes Treatment center for the citizens of Brownsville and the RGV. I strongly believe that if we implement prevention at young ages and if we offer the best available treatments to our public, our battle with diabetes will favor our community. Now, if our city leaders and politicians do not pay attention to this subject of extreme importance, then this will be a disease that will progress and continue killing our friends and family.
BY THE YEAR 2020, AN ESTIMATED 60-70% OF BROWNSVILLE's POPULATION OVER THE AGE OF 40 WILL BE DIABETIC AND WE WILL NOT HAVE THE HEALTH RESOURCES TO PROVIDE FOR OUR OWN. IF WE DO NOT BEGIN TO AGRESSIVELY ACT TODAY, BROWNSVILLE IN 2020 WILL BE A HEALTH AND ECONOMICAL DISASTER. THIS CAN BE PREVENTED, WE NEED TO ACT TODAY. ALL THE RED FLAGS HAVE BEEN RAISED, IT IS UP TO YOU AND ME TO MAKE A CHANGE.
Resources
Dr. Willie Teo Ong (Endocrinologist with sub specialty in Diabetes) Dr. Teo Ong specializes in treating alot of the diabetics in Brownsville
UTB/TSC Professor Dr. Saras Nair (Diabetic Geneticist) Dr. Nair has alot of recognition in diabetes research as you works with minority populations
UTB/TSC Professor Dr. Gerson Peltz (Nutrition, Cancer and Diabetes) Dr. Peltz is leading research in an obesity gene called leptin in the Mexican American population.
Online sources
http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/ (National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotionwww.diabetes.org American Diabetes Association
