Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
Curr Med Res Opin. 2011 May;27(5):969-79. doi: 10.1185/03007995.2011.563505. Epub 2011 Mar 8.
Latinos are the largest minority population in the United States, and are characterized by higher rates of obesity and diabetes compared to Whites. The prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in Latinos is two-fold higher than in Caucasians, and Latinos suffer from higher rates of diabetic complications and mortality. As the diabetes epidemic continues to expand and exert greater socioeconomic strain on national healthcare systems, the success of global and national healthcare initiatives for diabetes prevention and improvement of care will depend upon strategies targeted specifically toward this population. Essential to such strategies is an understanding of success factors unique to the Latino population for diabetes prevention and achievement of optimal treatment outcomes.
A PubMed search was conducted for literature describing type 2 diabetes and its complications in Latinos. Specifically, we sought data describing epidemiology, disparities, management considerations, and success factors in this population.
The title search yielded more than 2000 articles, 80 of which were deemed directly relevant to this review. The inherent limitations of this subjective selection process are acknowledged.
A number of studies have highlighted various ethnic disparities in Latinos with diabetes including higher HbA1c levels, greater rates of obesity and metabolic syndrome, and a larger proportion of individuals with inadequate access to care. While relatively fewer studies describe success factors for redressing cultural disparities in diabetes, the current body of literature supports primary care strategies aimed at effective provider-patient relationships and culturally tailored education and lifestyle modification regimens. Further research demonstrating effective, culturally tailored practices that are suitable to the primary care setting would be of value to providers treating Latinos with diabetes.
拉丁裔是美国最大的少数族裔群体，与白人相比，他们的肥胖症和糖尿病发病率更高。拉丁裔的确诊糖尿病患病率是白种人的两倍，而且拉丁裔更容易出现糖尿病并发症和死亡率更高的情况。随着糖尿病的流行继续扩大，并对国家医疗保健系统造成更大的社会经济压力，全球和国家的糖尿病预防和改善护理的医疗保健计划的成功将取决于针对这一人群的具体策略。这些策略的关键是了解拉丁裔人群在糖尿病预防和实现最佳治疗效果方面特有的成功因素。
我们在 PubMed 上搜索了描述拉丁裔 2 型糖尿病及其并发症的文献。具体来说，我们寻求描述该人群的流行病学、差异、管理注意事项和成功因素的数据。
标题搜索产生了 2000 多篇文章，其中 80 篇被认为与本综述直接相关。承认这种主观选择过程存在固有的局限性。
许多研究强调了拉丁裔糖尿病患者中存在各种种族差异，包括更高的糖化血红蛋白水平、更高的肥胖症和代谢综合征发病率，以及更多的人无法获得适当的医疗服务。虽然相对较少的研究描述了纠正糖尿病文化差异的成功因素，但当前的文献支持旨在建立有效的医患关系以及针对特定文化的教育和生活方式改变方案的基层医疗策略。进一步研究证明适合基层医疗环境的有效、针对特定文化的实践将对治疗拉丁裔糖尿病患者的医生有价值。
