Asian American and Pacific Islander
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Chronic Diseases

Diabetes

What is it?
Why is it important?
Resources
References

What Is It?

There are two different types of Diabetes- Type 1 and Type 2.

Type 1 is when the pancreas stops producing insulin, and the body does not metabolize glucose. This usually occurs in children and young adults before the age of 30. An insulin supplement must be taken daily in order to help the body metabolize the glucose from the food the individual eats.

Type 2 diabetes is when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin for the body or when the cells in the body start to resist the insulin produced by the pancreas. This usually occurs in adults, thus it is called adult onset diabetes, and is typically the result of a person being obese or overweight. This type of diabetes can be controlled through the use of insulin.

 

 

Why is knowledge about diabetes important?

Rates of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in APIA populations are increasing. Although the numbers are low in the adult population, they are increasing in the population of children. Obesity and overweight increases the chance of diabetes in any population, but many minority populations are at a higher risk for these.

 

 

Resources

• WebMD: www.webmd.com
  
• National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse- Diabetes in Asian and Pacific Islander Americans: http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/asianamerican/
  
• National Institutes of Health: www.nih.gov
  
• Center for Disease Control: www.cdc.gov
  
• Office of Minority Health: http://www.omhrc.gov/

 

References

• Web MD and Diabetes- http://my.webmd.com/hw/diabetes_1_2/hw34305.asp
  
• National Institutes of Health and Diabetes-http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/asianamerican/