- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Molecule in Skin May Link Eczema and Asthma
- Using Music and Sports to Improve Kids' Asthma
- Keep Asthma, Allergies at Bay for the Holidays
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Acupuncture, Real or Fake, Eases Back Pain
- Pain-Relieving Powers of Acupuncture Unclear
- When Healing Becomes a Commodity
- ANIMAL CARE
- 'Comfort Dogs' Come to Emotional Rescue
- Separation Anxiety, Canine-Style
- Animals Respond to Acupuncture's Healing Touch
- BONES & JOINTS
- Too Few Screened for Abdominal Aneurysm, Study Says
- Weight Loss Might Not Curb Knee Arthritis
- Frankincense Provides Relief for Osteoarthritis
- CANCER
- Smoking Ups Risk of Second Breast Cancer
- Physical Activity May Prolong Survival After Colon Cancer
- Women Smokers Lose 14.5 Years Off Life Span
- CAREGIVING
- U.S. Mental Health Spending Rises, But Many Still Left Out
- Rapid Infant Weight Gain Linked to Childhood Obesity
- Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome as Deadly as Ever
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Varicose Veins May Mask Larger Problem
- Night Shift Work Hard on the Heart
- Mercury in Fish Linked to High Blood Pressure
- COSMETIC
- Contact Lenses Boost Kids' Self-Image
- Wrinkle Fillers Need Better Label Warnings: FDA Panel
- With Psoriasis, the Internet May Offer Hope
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Holistic Dentistry-My View
- An Oral Approach to Heart Disease
- Biological Product Shows Promise Against Gum Disease
- DIABETES
- 'Standard' Glucose Test May Be Wrong One for Obese Children
- Poor Blood Sugar Control After Heart Surgery Impacts Outcomes
- Older Diabetics With Depression Face Higher Death Rate
- DIET, NUTRITION
- More Educated Choose Healthier Foods, But Pay More
- Eat Up, But Eat Healthy This Holiday Season
- Vitamin D Vital for the Heart
- DISABILITIES
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Are Medical Meetings Environmentally Unfriendly?
- Exposure to 9/11 Fumes Tied to Chronic Headaches
- Scorpion Anti-Venom Speeds Children's Recovery
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Eye Disease, Cognitive Decline Linked in Study
- Brain Pressure More Likely to Cause Vision Loss in Men
- Eye Test Could Spot Diabetes Vision Trouble Early
- FITNESS
- Exercise As Well As Acupuncture, May Ease Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
- Exercise Key Player in Knee Replacement Recovery
- Vigorous Treadmill Workout Curbs Appetite Hormones
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- Soothing Imagery May Help Rid Some Kids of Stomach Pain
- Peppermint Oil, Fiber Can Fight Irritable Bowel
- Olive Oil May Protect Against Bowel Disease
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Vitamin D Best Taken With Largest Meal of Day, Study Finds
- Food and Water Supply Poisoned by Perchlorate
- Hand-Washing Habits Still Need Improvement: Survey Says
- HEAD & NECK
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- Study Suggests Link Between Cell Phones and Brain Tumors
- 'Cell Phone Elbow' -- A New Ill for the Wired Age
- Magnet Therapy May Ease Hard-to-Treat Depression
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- A Little Chocolate May Do the Heart Good
- Lack of Vitamin D Linked to High Blood Pressure
- Fish Oil Supplements Help With Heart Failure
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- The HPV Vaccine: Preventative Medicine or Human Sacrifice?
- Swine Flu Now Reported in All 50 States
- Swine Flu Closes Three Schools in NYC
- KID'S HEALTH
- Should Your Child Be Seeing a Chiropractor?
- Quick Orthopedic Repair Can Save Young Shoulders
- Even Young Kids Can Learn CPR
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Whole Grains, Bran May Fight Hypertension in Men
- Low Iron Levels Cut Cancer Risk in Men With PAD
- Vigorous Exercise Cuts Stroke Risk for Men, Not Women
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Psychotherapy Can Boost Happiness More Than Money
- Living Alone Increases Odds of Developing Dementia
- The Unmedicated Mind
- PREGNANCY
- Breast-Feeding May Protect a Woman's Heart
- Exercise As Well As Acupuncture, May Ease Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
- Expectant Mom's Exercise Keeps Newborn's Birth Weight Down
- SENIORS
- Laughter Can Stimulate a Dull Appetite
- Common Antioxidant Might Slow Parkinson's
- Older People at Greater Risk of Swine Flu Death
Diabetic Hispanics Missing Out on Eye Exams
By eHolistic.com Published: 07/14/2008
MONDAY, July 14 (HealthDay News) -- Hispanic Americans with type 2 diabetes are less likely to have regular eye exams compared with Hispanics nationally, a new study finds.
Many may have no idea that blindness is a leading complication of diabetes and that regular check-ups can help prevent this devastating condition, the researchers added.
While type 2 diabetes has become epidemic in general, Hispanics bear a disproportionate brunt of the disease. According to the American Diabetes Association, 20 percent of Hispanics over 40 have the disease, as compared with 7.8 percent of the overall population, and a full half of these have retinopathy (damage to the retina), a complication of diabetes.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins' Wilmer Eye Institute, in Baltimore, are concerned because minority groups tend to access the health-care system less frequently. Hispanics might also be more vulnerable to the myriad complications of diabetes, including blindness, heart disease and loss of limbs.
Many individuals -- members of minority groups or otherwise -- don't even know they have this "silent disease," even if they already have tell-tale signs of retinopathy, the experts said.
The authors of the paper, which is published in the July issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology, interviewed 349 Hispanic individuals without diabetes and 204 Hispanic individuals with diabetes.
Half of the respondents reporting experiencing language barriers when it came to health care.
Only 18 percent of individuals without diabetes and no family history of the disease knew that eye problems could be a complication of diabetes, compared with 29 percent of non-diabetics with a family history, 36 percent of recently diagnosed diabetics and 52 percent of diabetics who had been diagnosed more than a year before.
Few respondents knew that controlling diabetes could prevent eye problems: 16 percent of non-diabetics with no family history, 28 percent of non-diabetics with a family history, 13 percent of newly diagnosed individuals and 34 percent of less recently diagnosed.
Perhaps most troubling, almost half of those who had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes more than a year prior and 79 percent of those newly diagnosed had never had a dilated eye exam, which can detect problems before it's too late.
Only 30 percent of respondents with diabetes had undergone an eye exam in the past year, compared with 70 percent to 75 percent of Hispanics nationally.
More information
There's more on diabetes among Hispanics at the National Diabetes Education Program.
-- HealthDay staff
SOURCE: Archives of Ophthalmology news release, July 14, 2008
Last Updated: July 14, 2008
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