The memories are more than 30 years old, but they're still vivid in Malena Aleman's mind.

To this day, she recalls her Peruvian mother struggling with complications of diabetes, including the loss of both of her legs.

Her mother passed away at age of 40, weighing 280 pounds (127 kg).

Today, Aleman, 57, is a home health aide for Partners HealthCare [a funder of the EthnicNewz.org health beat].

Every week she assists an average of three senior patients with chronic diseases, such as Alzheimer's and diabetes.

"[My] mother kind of liked to eat a lot of [foods that raise blood] sugar, including bread, rice and potatoes - sometimes, all of them together," she said.

Diabetes is a disorder that affects the way the human body uses food for energy. After a meal is digested, it is broken down into simple sugar. These molecules, known as glucose, circulate in the bloodstream.

With the help of insulin, which is a hormone produced by the pancreas, the glucose offers fuel to all body cells.

A healthy pancreas adjusts the amount of insulin it produces based on the level of glucose.

However, in the pancreas of a diabetic person, the process of insulin production breaks down, and blood sugar levels become too high.

Malena Aleman was 23 when her mother died. Ever since, she has worried that she would develop diabetes, too.

Her concern is a realistic one. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), Latinos have a 150 percent greater risk of developing the disease than white Americans.

But Aleman is cautious. She watches her family's diet closely and has attended two Spanish-language meetings organized by the department of endocrinology at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, called "Apriendendo Sobre Diabetes Juntos" ("Learning About Diabetes Together").

The next, and final, meeting will be this Thursday, June 9, 2008.

"Sometimes diabetes shows no symptoms. Often it goes undiagnosed," said Dr. Florencia Halperin, an Argentinean fellow and the only Spanish-speaking physician at the hospital's Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension.

According to the ADA, of the 20.8 million diabetics in the U.S., 6.2 million are unaware they have the disease.

In some cases, said Dr. Halperin, "a person can feel thirsty, an urge to urinate all the time, tired, have blurred vision, and lose weight [which are all symptoms of diabetes]," although obesity contributes to the development of diabetes.

Dr. Halperin will lead the 1.5-hour-long "Apriendendo sobre Diabetes Juntos" meeting. Although she calls it a class, the setting will be very informal.

"We'll talk about what's diabetes, how to prevent it, what is the required medical care and how to access [treatment for] it," she said.

Family members and people who don't have diabetes are welcome. The session also will discuss how to control high blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

"It's really an educational session, but with interaction. We'll share personal experiences to allow people who don't have the disease to understand what diabetes is," said Dr. Halperin.

There are two main types of diabetes. People with type 1 diabetes are completely unable to produce insulin.

People with type 2 diabetes, which is the most common, can produce insulin, but their cells don't respond to it.

The alarming surge of new cases of diabetes within Latino communities might explain why educational meetings about diabetes are popping up all over the country.

At the Brigham and Women's Hospital, 25 percent of all patients with diabetes are Latino.

At New Hampshire's Nashua Area Health Center (NAHC), 90 percent of its diabetic patients are Latino.

"Even when patients are seeing another doctor, and I look at the list and [notice, based on their names, that] they're Latinos, half of the times when I approach them, they have diabetes," said Sandee LaMarche, a certified diabetes educator at NAHC.

Cosme Neles, 46, is one of LaMarche's patients. He was diagnosed with diabetes back in Brazil in 1991.

In his case, genetic disposition was a factor in getting diabetes. Both of his parents were diabetic, with his mother dying from the disease at the age of 63. Neles is one of 10 children - five of them have diabetes.

In Brazil, Neles took daily pills to treat his diabetes. He migrated to the U.S. in 2000, and a year later he started taking insulin injections.

At the beginning, the insulin needle was a little uncomfortable, and sometimes the treatment was depressing, he said.

In some states such as New Hampshire, where Neles is a resident, diabetes treatment can be a matter of public safety.

Every six months, Neles has to ask his doctor to send a letter to the Registry of Motor Vehicles attesting he is fit to drive on New Hampshire's roads.

That's because diabetic patients who don't get treatment are at risk of progressive blindness or could suffer from hypoglycemia, which is the lowering of blood-sugar levels that can cause serious dizziness.

Now, Neles said, he is used to his twice-per-day dose of insulin. He leads a normal life, both as a factory technician and a local leader in the Brazilian community of Nashua.

But he has two confessions to make: He finally left behind the stigma of the disease and talks freely about diabetes; and he is not so good in following doctors' orders.

"Sometimes I feel that the repetitive use of insulin can bring me some other health complication. But looking back, I know that maybe I could have done something (diet-wise) before I developed the disease."

Similar reasons forced Malena Aleman to change her diet completely.

"I love fried chicken, but I know that it's not good for me. I traded the potatoes for broccoli, and rice and beans for salads," she said.

Aleman admits to having become an insistent patient. She visits her doctor every six months, and checks her blood pressure and seeks eye care just as often.

As for Neles, he tries to use all the knowledge about the disease that he's gathered in the last 17 years, to help others understand how to live in peace with diabetes.

To participate in the Brigham and Women's Hospital meeting on diabetes, "Aprendiendo Juntos Sobre la Diabetes" (IN SPANISH), call Laura at 617-732-5470 or visit the meeting's Web site:
www.brighamandwomens.org/view/EventDetails.aspx?eventID=41017 [2]

[3]

Think you might have diabetes? ¿Podría usted tener diabetes y no saberlo?
Click here (en espanol) [4]and test your risks.
En los Estados Unidos hay 20.8 millones de niños y adultos con diabetes, ¡y aproximadamente un tercio de ellos (o 6.2 millones de personas) no lo saben! ¿Cree usted que podrías estar en riesgo? Haga este examen y lo descubrirá.

source: EthnicNewz.org

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SEE ALSO:

Obese Latino Youth May Be At Risk for Diabetes and Heart Disease as Young Adults [5]