Racial and Social Impacts of Diabetes Mellitus: An Autobiographical Case Report

Abstract

Type two diabetes mellitus is a chronic medical condition encountered by physicians providing medical care to adult and pediatric patients. This autobiographical case report discusses type two diabetes from the perspective of positive and negative interactions with the healthcare system in managing diabetes mellitus, especially for a physician of color and underrepresented in medicine. Bias and assumptions occur for some people diagnosed with diabetes mellitus or presumed to have the disease based on age, body habitus, comorbidities, lived environment, race, and ethnicity. I specifically address the social implications of bias experienced by persons of color strictly based on race and ethnicity. Intensified awareness about systemic and institutional racism in healthcare warrants eliminating the inequities and disparities in the medical management and treatment of diabetes mellitus.