Basin cities named diabetes hot spots

COLUMBIA BASIN — A Washington State University research project found Soap Lake, Lind and Odessa are hot-spots for diabetes.

The project identified Lind and Odessa in Adams County and Soap Lake in Grant County to be locations in Eastern Washington with higher than expected diabetes-related disease rates in adults ages 45 to 74.

Assistant Professor of Informatics at WSU Kenn Daratha conducted the study, along with Jennifer Polello of Inland Northwest Health Services. The results are being presented today at the Northwest Regional Rural Health Conference in Spokane.

"Diabetes is estimated to be undiagnosed in as many as one-third of individuals with diabetes," Daratha said. "Often, a diagnosis for diabetes occurs after complications occur."

More than 563 Washington communities were analyzed in the study. Of those, 39 were found to be hot spots.

In Soap Lake, 13 percent of residents ages 45 to 74 have diabetes, compared with the state average of 8.6 percent. The number is 18.8 percent in Odessa and 40 percent in Lind.

Daratha said identifying diabetes hot spots is necessary for designing strategies to reduce mortality and morbidity related to the disease. The information gathered is helpful for focusing efforts, he said.

"They are areas that warrant further investigation," he said.

Managing type 2 diabetes is complicated and requires intervention for preventing related diseases, Daratha said.

"This is of particular concern to rural communities with restricted access to health care services," he said. "As the prevalence of this disease increases and the rate of compliance to care standards remains low, increases in diabetic complications, utilization and costs are inevitable."

The study was conducted through a review of U.S. census data and data from the state Department of Health. To be identified, the populations had to contain higher than state average rates for diabetes and nephropathy, neuropathy and retinopathy, diabetes-related diseases.

"They are the result of not managing diabetes," Daratha said.