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Comorbidities Associated with Diabetic Foot Complications Among Asian Americans in Southern California

^* Diabetic Foot Care Center, Coastal Communities Hospital, Tenet Health System, Santa Ana, CA.

Corresponding author: Paul Y. Han, MS, DPM, Diabetic Foot Care Center, Coastal Communities Hospital, Tenet Health System, 2621 S Bristol St, Ste 209, Santa Ana, CA 92704.

Abstract

The comorbidities of diabetes mellitus were evaluated in an Asian American population with podiatric symptoms living in southern California. The three most common nonpedal complaints in men were blurred vision (73.6%), hypertension (64.1%), and erectile dysfunction (52.3%) and in women were blurred vision (84.5%), incontinence (71.5%), and low-back pain with radiculopathy-like symptoms (56.5%). The most significant finding was that only 3.2% of all patients had any previous knowledge or understanding of the risks of foot infection, ulceration, and amputation secondary to diabetes mellitus. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus in ethnic populations once considered practically exempt continues to rise steadily, and Asians living in the United States are becoming casualties of diabetes mellitus and its complications. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 93(1): 37-41, 2003)