Premium Essay

Diabetes: Types, Risk Factors and Treatments

In:

Submitted By cathyde1981
Words 742
Pages 3
Diabetes: Types, Risk Factors and Treatments Diabetes is one of the most common chronic medical disorders. Diabetes occurs either because of a lack of insulin or because of the presence of factors that oppose the action of insulin (Watkins 1). Clark explains that insulin is a hormone that is used to convert sugar and other food into energy. It is the body’s means of lowering blood sugar levels and when it fails, everything is out of balance (3). Without enough insulin, glucose builds up in the bloodstream instead of going into the cells for the body to use for energy. In order to have a better understanding of diabetes, it is important to know the types, risk factors and treatments. To begin with, there are actually three different types of diabetes. Type 1 and Type 2 are the most common. Gestational diabetes, which is only diagnosed during pregnancy, will not be discussed here. The clinical symptoms of diabetes can include frequent urination, unusual thirst, blurred vision, bruises that are slow to heal, fatigue and numbness of the hands and feet. Type 1 diabetes is caused by the destruction of the insulin producing cells of the pancreas (Tuch, Dunlop and Proietto 43). Simply put, when the cells are destroyed, the body does not produce insulin. Previously known as insulin dependent diabetes it is also referred to as juvenile diabetes since it is usually diagnosed in children and young adults. It affects around 15% of all people with diabetes and the peak incidence is at 12 years of age (Tuch, Dunlop, and Proietto 1). Everyone who is affected with type 1 diabetes must have insulin every day. It is either injected under the skin or a pump is used to deliver the insulin all the time. There is no way to prevent Type 1 diabetes since it is thought to be an autoimmune disorder, meaning the immune system actually attacks

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Hca 240 Wk 7 Appendix E

...Associate Level Material Appendix E For this assignment, complete this chart to create an easy-to-read reference that will help you understand how the two forms of diabetes mellitus differ. Maintaining proper levels of insulin is critical for diabetes patients. The means by which insulin can be regulated depends upon which type of diabetes a patient has. Complete the chart with a 25- to 50-word response for each box. |Form of diabetes |Age of onset |Defects in insulin and effects on glucose |Risk factors |Prevention and treatment | | | |metabolism | | | |Type I: Insulin-dependent diabetes |Usually prior |Insulin is needed so that the cells can use |Some risk factors include a family history of|There is no way to prevent type I diabetes. | |mellitus |to age 30 |the sugars in the blood for energy. This type|type I diabetes, genetics, viral exposure, |However, researchers are working on | | | |is caused by the body not manufacturing |having a mother 25 years old or younger when |preventing the disease or allowing further | | | |enough or any insulin...

Words: 548 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Cultural and Disease Paper

...Cultural and Disease paper Amy D. Talbert HCS245 February 14, 2011 Michelle Clemons    Diabetes is the most common endocrine disorder of the human body.   There are three types of diabetes, type I (Juvenile Diabetes), type II, and gestational.   Type I diabetes, also called juvenile diabetes, strikes children, and young adults (American Diabetes Association, 1995-2011).   Type II diabetes is more common in certain ethnic groups, and in older people.   Gestational diabetes is only present during pregnancy and usually goes away after pregnancy; however some women will develop type II diabetes in later years (American Diabetes Association, 1995-2011).   Type II diabetes is considered the most common of all diabetes types.   Because type II diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, this is the type that will be discussed in detail.     What is type II diabetes?     Type II diabetes is a disease of the endocrine (hormone) system.   In a normal working endocrine system, blood sugar levels stay consistent.   In the case of diabetes, blood sugar levels fluctuate causing the body’s cells to keep from function properly (Web M.D., 2005-2011).   Type II diabetes occurs when the body either does not produce enough insulin, or the body cannot use the insulin properly.   Insulin is a hormone regulated by the endocrine system.   Insulin helps the body store and use the sugar from eaten food (Web M.D., 2005-2011).   The body is made up of cells; these cells need energy that energy...

Words: 1833 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Diabetes

...Diabetes Mellitus Machelle Van N140 Instructor’s Name November 5, 2012 Diabetes Mellitus According to the Australian Institute of Health and Wellness, “Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic condition in which the body makes too little of the hormone insulin or cannot use it properly” (pg. 1, para 1). The pancreas produces insulin which helps glucose to enter cells through the bloodstream; the sugar is then converted into energy. Diabetes is uncontrollable when there is a build-up of glucose in the bloodstream, and there is not enough glucose entering the cells. If left untreated, diabetes can cause damage to the brain, kidney disease, heart disease, stroke, and complications to other parts of the body. Diabetes often appears in childhood or adolescence. Etiology The disease affects more than 20 million Americans and more than 40 million Americans have pre-diabetes that can lead to type 2 diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, the cells become resistant to the action of insulin, and the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin to overcome the resistance. Three Major Types of Diabetes Type I Diabetes | Type 2 Diabetes | Gestational Diabetes | Diagnosed in childhood or adolescence; the disease can occur in adults. | Common than type 1 diabetes; makes up many of the disease. | Develops at any time during pregnancy. | The body cannot produce insulin. | Occurs frequently in young people, and adulthood. | Women are at a higher risk of developing type...

Words: 1959 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Psychology and Diabetes

...Psychology and Diabetes Student’s Name: Institution: Instructor’s Name: Course Name: Introduction Diabetes is often referred to as diabetes mellitus and can be defined as a condition in which an individual has high levels of blood sugar as a result of inadequate or insufficient production of insulin in the body. Additionally, it may be caused by the failure of body cells to respond appropriately to the insulin. As such, patients usually have a higher than normal rate of urination. Majority of the world’s population usually acquire diabetes due to poor dietary habits thus increasing their risk of contracting the disease. However, practicing healthy dietary practices can go a long way in reducing the risk of contracting the disease. This paper seeks to review a psychology educational program within the community which aims at educating and enlightening people on diabetes. Overview Diabetes can be of either type 1 or type 2. Type 1 diabetes often affects individuals in their early years before they reach their forty’s (Illovsky, 2013). Patients with this type of diabetes often survive on insulin injections so as to regulate their blood sugar levels. Type 1 in this the body does not produce insulin; people with it are needed to take insulin daily. On the other hand, type 2 diabetes often affects old aged peopled due to complications in their metabolism. In type 2 the body does not produce or use insulin properly; people with it are needed to often to take insulin or...

Words: 1810 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Diabetes

...huge risk factors. The various issues of unhealthy living lead to multiple life threatening diseases, such as diabetes. When people hear the news that they have been diagnosed with diabetes, it makes them feel frightened. In 2011, statistics show that in United States 25.8 million of children and adults has diabetes (American Diabetes Association, 2012). American Indians and Alaska natives have a higher percentage of adults with diabetes than other ethnicities (Collazo-Clavell et all. 2009). Diabetes is a serious life-long illness caused by high level of glucose in the blood. This condition is when the body cannot produce insulin that is located in the pancreas. Insulin is a hormone that moderates the blood level. Diabetes affects the process of how the body uses blood sugar (Collazo-Clavell et all. 2009). Glucose is significant since it is “the main source of fuel” (Collazo-Clavell et all. 2009). There is no cure for diabetes but there are ways to lower the risks. Although diabetes is a disorder, it can also lead to other factors such as heart attack, kidney failure, or death. A person with diabetes has to maintain a healthy lifestyle including eating the right food, exercising, controlling their blood sugar level, and be optimistic. Diabetes occurs in several forms but the major ones are Type I and II diabetes and gestational diabetes. Type I diabetes is also known as “Juvenile Diabetes” because it typically occurs in children and young adults. The symptoms for Type I diabetes...

Words: 3172 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

Diabetes

...wrote about diabetes for my biology research paper. I need someone to proof read for me. It is in APA style. Thank you! =) In America, the fact that fast food restaurants are located at every corner many people becomes obesity leading to huge risk factors. The various issues of unhealthy living lead to multiple life threatening diseases, such as diabetes. When people hear the news that they have been diagnosed with diabetes, it makes them feel frightened. In 2011, statistics show that in United States 25.8 million of children and adults has diabetes (American Diabetes Association, 2012). American Indians and Alaska natives have a higher percentage of adults with diabetes than other ethnicities (Collazo-Clavell et all. 2009). Diabetes is a serious life-long illness caused by high level of glucose in the blood. This condition is when the body cannot produce insulin that is located in the pancreas. Insulin is a hormone that moderates the blood level. Diabetes affects the process of how the body uses blood sugar (Collazo-Clavell et all. 2009). Glucose is significant since it is “the main source of fuel” (Collazo-Clavell et all. 2009). There is no cure for diabetes but there are ways to lower the risks. Although diabetes is a disorder, it can also lead to other factors such as heart attack, kidney failure, or death. A person with diabetes has to maintain a healthy lifestyle including eating the right food, exercising, controlling their blood sugar level, and be optimistic. Diabetes...

Words: 3195 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

Chronic Disease

...Chronic Disease Risk Assessment SCI/162 Principles of Health and Wellness 01/27/2011 Glen Blankenship Chronic Disease Risk Assessment Diabetes is a chronic lifelong disease where there are high traces of sugar in the blood. A diabetic individuals pancreas secrets an insufficient amount of insulin or does not use the insulin efficiently. Insulin is a hormone made in the pancreas that enables the body to use glucose for energy. Diabetes is caused by too little insulin, resistance to insulin or both. Diabetes is the most common disorder of the human hormone system; there are three forms of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is often referred to as insulin dependent diabetes or juvenile-onset diabetes. This form of diabetes usually develops in young adults, teens and children. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body’s immune system destroys its own insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Individuals with type 1 diabetes have to take insulin medication for the duration of their life. Type 2 diabetes is known as non-insulin dependent diabetes or adult-onset diabetes, and occurs when the body stops recognizing the insulin secreted by the pancreas. When there isn't enough insulin or the insulin is not used as it should be, sugar can't get into the body's cells. When sugar builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, the body's cells are not able...

Words: 581 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Diabetes Research Papers

...“What is Diabetes Mellitus?” Definition: Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease in which the pancreas is no longer able to produce enough insulin (Type 1) or cells stop responding to the insulin that is being produced (Type 2), so that glucose in the blood cannot be absorbed into the cells of the body. Symptoms often include frequent urination, lethargy, excessive thirst, and hunger. The treatment for this disease includes changes in diet, oral medications, and in some cases, daily injections of insulin. Historical Background Diabetes mellitus was first described in ancient Egypt. It was first named by Aretaeus in the 1st century A.D. In the 2nd century, Galenus blamed the cause of diabetes on, kidney weakness. There were several theories...

Words: 1703 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Diabetes Chronic Diseases

...Diabetes Chronic Diseases A chronic disease such as diabetes disease is becoming the top killer of Americans. Diabetes is a main risk reason for heart attack and stroke. In addition, it is the second leading cause of blindness and kidney failure. While diabetes can be treated, it is better to avoid developing it in the first place by taking the preventions necessary. There are several types of diabetes; Type 1, Type 2 and Gestational Diabetes. “Type 1 diabetes accounts for only 5% of all cases of diabetes and is characterized by a deficiency of the hormone insulin that regulates blood sugar level.” (Life Resource Center). However, in the far more common Type 2 diabetes, the level of insulin can be low, normal or high. In addition, Gestational Diabetes is built-up during the pregnancy stage; on the other hand, it is frequently fixed after the birth of the child. A risk factor is something that influences your probability of getting a particular disease. There are several risk factors for the diabetes disease; there are some risk factors you can control and some you cannot control. Some of the risk factors that can be controlled are your current and future conduct. For example, some things you can do to control to avoid getting this disease are eating healthy, having an exercise routine and avoiding the use of drugs such as tobacco, alcohol and cigarettes. However, some you can't control include genetics, and environmental exposures or behaviors that occurred in the past....

Words: 586 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Diabetes and Depression

... Diabetes and Depression The association between depression and diabetes has been recognized for many years, but the nature of this relationship remains uncertain, not only is depression one of the worst illnesses known to humankind, it is also implicated in another major chronic disease in humankind-diabetes. The relationship is attributed to a variety of mechanisms but the causal relationship between these illnesses, its direction, and underlying mechanisms, remain unclear (Golden et al., 2008). Depression is common in patients with common medical conditions, it can strike anyone, and it is one of the most comorbid psychiatric disorders associated with diabetes, and has an impact on treatment and prognosis. The rigors of managing diabetes can be stressful and can lead to symptoms of depression, at any given time, most people with diabetes do not have depression, but people with diabetes have a greater risk of depression, than people without diabetes. Just like denial, depression can get patients into a vicious cycle, and it can block good diabetes self care if someone is depressed, and has no energy, as most of the diabetes management are not automatic body functions but requires conscious actions (Watkins & Brynes, 2007). People with severe diabetes, can have slow and painful execution, extending over years and decades , and depressive symptoms can develop but it is also still unclear whether type 2 diabetes mellitus, is a risk factor for these elevated...

Words: 1161 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Blah

...Risk  Factors  for  Type  1     Type  1  Diabetes  is  autoimmune  disease,  which  is  when  the  body  is  attacking  itself.  There   aren’t  many  known  risk  factors  but  some  known  ones  are…     :  Family  History   :  if  you  have  a  family  member  with  type  1  diabetes,  you  or  your  child  are  at   greater  risk  of  having  it  too.  Researchers  believe  that  genetic  factors  play  a  role   in  type  1  diabetes   :Having  other  autoimmune  diseases   :if  you  have  another  condition  that  affects  your  immune  system,  you  might  be  at   greater  risk   :Viral  exposure     :  Some  viral  contact  may  trigger  the  autoimmune  disease   :Vitamin  D     :  Early  drinking  of  cow’s  milk  has  been  linked  to  type  1  diabetes.   :Mother’s  age  at  childbirth     :Under  25  or  over  35  years  old   :Some  Dietary  Factors   :Abnormalities  at  Birth     :  respiratory  infection,  jaundice,  or  high  birth  weigh  can  increase  the  risk  of  type   1  diabetes  for  that ...

Words: 770 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Treating Diabetes Mellitus Type Ii

...Treating Diabetes Mellitus Type II Treating Diabetes Mellitus Type II Type II diabetes (T2D) is a metabolic disorder characterized by chronically elevated blood glucose levels. It characteristically results from a surplus caloric intake, as compared to energy consumption, combined with inadequate insulin secretion, due to dysfunction of the insulin-secreting pancreatic beta cells (Pfeiffer & Klein, 2014). Type II diabetes has reached pandemic levels, despite efforts to slow its progression. In a society where healthcare is ever-changing, primary care physicians, along with advanced practitioners are now treating this disease more readily, as compared to specialist and endocrinologist in the past. As with many disease processes, there are several options when choosing a treatment plan for type II diabetes. Combining knowledge and evidence-based research, the practitioner will be able to establish an individualized treatment plan for treating type II diabetes mellitus. Pathophysiology Type II diabetes is a very complex, non-communicable disease that effects more than 370 million people throughout the world. The symptoms of this disease can vary from patient to patient. Without intense and concentrated efforts to address the pathogenesis and treatment of this syndrome, the destructive macrovascular and microvascular outcomes of type II diabetes will remain a major problem for years to come (Kahn, Cooper, & Del Prato, 2014). In T2D plasma insulin levels may be low,...

Words: 4669 - Pages: 19

Premium Essay

Soc 313

...Diabetes Mellitus Christa Hackett SOC 313 Sabrina Geoffrion June 17, 2013 Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic, incurable condition of carbohydrate metabolism that involves an imbalance of the supply and demand for insulin; it is the most common of all endocrine conditions (Laffel & Wood, 2007; Olefsky, 2001). Diabetes is a common health condition that affects millions throughout the universe. Diabetes affects millions of people in different and diverse ethnic groups. In the United States diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death. Diabetes is a growing problem in the US and it is becoming an epidemic. There are 3 types of diabetes mellitus, Type-1, Type-2, and Gestational Diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is insulin dependent and accounts for at least 10% of diagnosed cases. In Type 1 diabetes the immune system makes it hard for the body to produce insulin. With no insulin the body cannot transform sugar from food into nutrients for cells. When excess sugar collects in the blood stream, it may eventually cause premature death and heavy damage to organs. Type-1 diabetes can affect adults and children suddenly and require supplemental insulin, a carefully planned diet and exercise regimen. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in young adults, teenagers, and children. Type 1 diabetes happens when the body’s immune system strike and destroys cells in the pancreas, the organ which is located behind the lower part of the stomach. These beta cells commonly produce insulin, the hormone...

Words: 3029 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

Diabetes

...Diabetes Mellitus Diabetes mellitus, most commonly known as “Diabetes” is a chronic disease associated with abnormally high levels of the sugar (Glucose) in the blood. Glucose is the main source of energy for the body's cells. The levels of glucose in the blood are controlled by a hormone called insulin, which is made by the pancreas. Insulin helps glucose enter the cells. In diabetes, the pancreas does not make enough insulin or the body can't respond normally to the insulin that is produced, this causes glucose levels in the blood to rise, leading to symptoms such as increased urination, extreme thirst, and unexplained weight loss. Type I diabetes, sometimes called juvenile diabetes begins mostly in childhood or adolescence. In this form of diabetes, the body produces little or no insulin. It is characterized by a sudden onset and occurs more frequently in populations descended from Northern European countries (Finland, Scotland, Scandinavia) than in those from Southern European countries, the Middle East, or Asia. In the United States, approximately three people out of 1,000 develop Type I diabetes. This form also is called insulin-dependent diabetes because people who develop this type need to have daily injections of insulin. Brittle diabetics are a subgroup of Type I where patients have frequent and rapid swings of blood sugar levels between hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. These patients usually require several injections of different types of insulin during...

Words: 1089 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Psychology and Health Issues

...Diabetes is has two types Type 1 and Type 2. They have in common that the level of sugar is abnormally high. Type 1 diabetes is a deficiency of the hormone insulin that regulates blood sugar levels. Only about 5% of people who have diabetes have this type whereas type 2 is far more common. With type 2 the level of insulin can be low, normal or high. The body does not starts respond properly to insulin it becomes partially resistant to the effects of insulin. Diabetes is often described as one of the most psychologically and behaviorally demanding of the chronic medical illnesses. What makes diabetes difficult to treat is that psychosocial factors play a role in “nearly every aspect of diabetes and its treatment." (Cox & Gonder-Frederick, 1992). Consequently, disruptions to psychological wellness may impact diabetes adversely. Family members may be frightened by the possibility of serious acute and chronic complications of diabetes. May only recognize that less than rigorous control leads to complications, may not know how to help in which family members turn adherence to diabetes self-care recommendations into autonomy issues: nagging, doing too much for the person, not letting the person learn how to care for their self, treating the person like a child. Stress is another psychology health issues which can result in reduced motivation for self-care, risky behaviors like alcohol abuse and food binging. Physiological changes include blood...

Words: 1580 - Pages: 7