National Medical Association Medicaid Advisory: Diabetes

 The National Medical Association (NMA), representing the interests of the 50,000 African American physicians in the U.S., has issued the following advisory regarding diabetes awareness:

Diabetes is a major chronic disease that impacts over 37 million adults in the US and is anticipated to impact 54.9 million adults nationwide by 2030. Black people are disproportionately impacted by the diabetes epidemic, with 12.1% of Black people having the disease, compared with 7.4% of their white counterparts. Additionally, Black people are three times as likely to end up hospitalized for diabetes-related complications and are more than twice as likely to undergo diabetes-related leg or foot amputation.

What to Know:

29.7 million people, including 29.4 million adults, have been diagnosed with diabetes in the US.

8.7 million people are undiagnosed in the US.

In 2023, Black adults were 1.4 times more likely than non-Hispanic white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes. 

In 2021, Black people were 40% more likely than non-Hispanic whites to die from diabetes.

Smoking cigarettes can increase a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes along with various complications as related to diabetes. 

Losing even a small percentage of body weight can significantly reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Getting enough sleep can positively impact blood sugar control and reduce the risk of diabetes.

Diabetes increases the likelihood of contracting some illnesses. To alleviate this, be sure to speak with a healthcare provider for information on relevant vaccinations.

For more information on diabetes, visit the American Diabetes Association (ADA) at diabetes.org, the African American Diabetes Association at africanamericandiabetes.org, or speak with your healthcare provider.