The patient in the current case—a Hispanic man 62 years of age—had newly diagnosed T2DM, obesity, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, background retinopathy, and diabetic nephropathy. He also had hypertension, peripheral vascular disease, and hyperlipidemia. A treatment plan including a low-protein diet, a walking program, pioglitazone, sitagliptin, irbesartan, hydrochlorothiazide, clopidogrel, simvastatin, and niacin proved successful in glycemic and lipid control, as well as in management of blood pressure, creatinine clearance rate, macroalbuminuria, peripheral vascular disease, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and background retinopathy.
As the number of Hispanic Americans with diagnosed diabetes mellitus is projected to increase by 107% by 2020, improved diagnosis and management of T2DM and its complications in this population are vital to public healthcare.