Diabetes Case Study
Angelo Reyes is just one of hundreds of thousands who must rely on the delivery of insulin into his system in order to survive, due to his diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes. Diagnosed at age thirteen, Angelo lives his life in a highly structured way, always cognizant of what he eats, his activity levels, and how such factors influence his blood sugar. Healthcare providers play a crucial role in educating patients like Angelo on what his diagnosis means, the importance of compliance, and how diabetes could affect him on a physical, emotional, and psychosocial level.
The statistics associated with diabetes in the United States are nothing short of alarming. With nearly 19 million Americans diagnosed and another 7 million undiagnosed, diabetes is causing a health epidemic that was the seventh leading cause of death and costing over $170 billion in medical expenses in 2007. While Type 1 Diabetes is not something that Mr. Reyes could have prevented, Type 2 Diabetes is certainly something that can be better controlled with proper education and healthy lifestyle choices. Interventions to prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 Diabetes have proven extremely successful by modifying such things as diet, activity level, and weight. By making such changes, patients can decrease their odds of associated health problems like heart disease, stroke, hypertension, blindness, kidney disease, neuropathy, and amputation.
It is often difficult to diagnose diabetes due to the symptom are subtle and not uncommon for example frequent urination, unusual thirst, extreme hunger, unusual weight loss, extreme fatigue and irritability. Type-two diabetes can include all of the type one symptoms as well as frequent infections, blurred vision, slow healing, tingling/numbness in the hands and feet, and reoccurring skin,