Diabetes Mellitus
Diabetes is one of the commonest long term disorders and is a chronic
disease that has no cure. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of
death in the USA as it contributed to more than 187 thousand deaths in
1995. Diabetes affects approximately five percent of the United States
population, about 10-12 million people, of those half remain
undiagnosed. It is also noted that different races tend to have
different rates of diabetes, as from the table below you can see that
cases of diabetes are high in Puerto Ricans.
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Diabetes is considered a group of disorders with multiple causes,
rather than a single disorder. However, when people talk about
diabetes they are usually referring to diabetes mellitus, meaning
sweet fountain. Diabetes Mellitus should not be confused with Diabetes
Insipidus, meaning dilute fountain. Which is a much rarer and quite
different condition.
Diabetes, or diabetes mellitus, is a disorder in which there is too
much sugar in the blood stream. Normally the food that we eat is
broken down by a series of enzymes and acids in our intestines. If the
food is rich in carbohydrate then the breakdown products will include
sugar, which eventually will end up in our bloodstream. Sugar provides
us with energy and we all have a certain amount of it circulating at
any one time. The sugar that we do not need for instant energy is
stored in the liver. If too much sugar is already stored there and
fresh supplies are continuing to pour in, the excess will be stored as
fat deposits. The amount of sugar allowed into the bloodstream at any
one time is regulated by a hormone called insulin which is...
... middle of paper ...
... & Wagnall's
Corporation.
Ann Fullick, Advanced Biology, Oxford, Heinemann Educational
publishers, 1994.
Dr Vernon Coleman, Everything you need to know about diabetes, London,
Severn House, 1985.
Dr R.D.G. Leslie, Family Doctor Guides (Diabetes), England, Equation
publishers,1989.
The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, 15 edition, volume 3, Helen
Hemingway Benton, London, 1974.
Magazine reference:
Living with diabetes: balance a lifestyle, Jan/Feb. 1998, Issue no
161, Editor Maggie Gibbons.
Living with diabetes: balance a lifestyle, May/June 1998, Issue no
163, Editor John Isitt
Internet Addresses: http://www.diabetes.org/ada/c20f.html
http://www.endocrinologist.com/insulin.htm
http://www.endocrinologist.com/herbs.html
http://www.joslin.org/education/library/exercise_health.html
Diabetes mellitus also known simply as diabetes refers to a group of metabolic diseases which affect the body’s homeostatic mechanism used for maintaining and regulating the body’s blood sugar levels. Diabetes is a chronic condition which, in 2013 was estimated to be affecting 382 million people worldwide.[1] People suffering from diabetes are required to constantly be vigilant of their blood sugar levels to ensure it does not go below or above optimum levels. Depending on the type of diabetes and glucose level range, they may need to inject themselves with insulin or eat high sugar foods to restabilise their body. Failure to do so can lead to other long term health effects.[2]
Is a multisystem disease related to abnormal insulin production, impaired insulin utilization, or both. Diabetes Mellitus is a serious health problem throughout the world. It is the 5th leading cause of death in the U.S. It is the leading cause of heart disease, stroke, adult blindness, and nontraumatic lower limb amputations.
When the blood glucose is higher than the normal levels, this is known as diabetes disease. The body turns the food we eat into glucose or sugar and use it for energy. The insulin is a hormone created by the pancreas to help the glucose get into the cells. The sugar builds up in the blood because either the body doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t well use its own insulin (CDC, 2015). In the United States diabetes is known as the seventh leading cause of death. There are different types of diabetes. However, there are two main types of diabetes and these are; Diabetes type 1 and Diabetes type 2 (CDC, 2015).
Diabetes mellitus type 2 is an endocrine disorder that causes impaired use of carbohydrates while enhancing the use of proteins and lipids. This is called insulin resistance, in which the pancreas cannot make enough insulin to keep blood glucose levels normal, or the body is unable to use what is produced. The impairment causes blood glucose level to rise higher than normal. There is no cure for type 2 diabetes mellitus and it is life threatening when left untreated. Signs and symptoms of this disorder include vision changes, increased thirst, increased hunger, increased frequency of urination, stomach pain, nausea and vomiting, erectile dysfunction, and absences of mentruation. These can occur abruptly, or over a long period of time. Long-term complications from diabetes include kidney damage, eye damage, and blindness. The risk factors for developing diabetes mellitus include genetics, sedentary lifestyle, high blood pressure, history of diabetes during pregnancy, poor diet, obesity, high cholesterol, and abdominal obesity. Diabetes mellitus can be managed through the use of medication, or by reducing risk factors, such as avoiding obesity, inactivity, and poor nutrition.
The website myclevelandclinic.org defines diabetes mellitus as a, "disease of the pancreas, an organ behind your stomach that produces the hormone insulin. Insulin helps the body use food for energy. When a person has diabetes, the pancreas either cannot produce enough insulin, uses the insulin incorrectly, or both. Insulin works together with glucose (sugar) in the bloodstream to help it enter the body's cells to be burned for energy. If the insulin isn't functioning properly, glucose cannot enter the cells. This causes glucose levels in the blood to rise, creating a condition of high blood sugar or diabetes, and leaving the cells without fuel."
From generation to generation diabetes has continued to claim lives on my mothers side of the family. From recent memory my great grandmother, aunt, and three cousins have had diabetes. Once a trait like diabetes enters your family it is passed down through genetics but it is also not guaranteed that all your family members will get it. You may be asking yourself what exactly diabetes is, what it does to your body and is their a cure? This disease affects us in many ways than one, as I will introduce to you.
Diabetes also known as high blood sugar levels, develops when your body either cannot make enough insulin or can't properly use the insulin that it makes. Diabetes has been around since the 1500's. The ancient Chinese described the signs of diabetes as described as "large amounts of urine." (Beaser 2). It wasn't until the ancient Greeks who actually gave the name of diabetes, which meant "to flow through." (Beaser 2) Later the Latin's added the word mellitus, which means sweet urine. The medical term is now diabetes mellitus. To understand the multiple ways to treat diabetes, you first need to understand what diabetes is and how your body reacts to it. Everyone needs food to survive, without food you will starve to death. Once we put food into our mouth, our body breaks it down to be used for fuel by the cells within our body. This process is called metabolism. Food is f...
Diabetes is one of the most common diseases that almost every family is suffering these days with one or more family members globally. But most people are still unaware the causes, symptoms and treatment of diabetes. Diabetes, in a simple language, is directly related to our digestion system. Whatever we eat, we need to digest and for digestion our food breaks into small pieces of glucose or sugar. This sugar then goes to our blood cells and gives us energy to work for the day. Now to transfer glucose to our blood cells, we need insulin that is made by pancreas. If due to some reasons, our pancreas is not able to produce enough amount of insulin to transfer glucose into the blood cells, the condition is known as diabetes, and the person suffering from this disease is called as a diabetic.
Type 1 diabetes mellitus is an autoimmune disease that results in insulin dependence due to failure of secretion of the hormone insulin by beta cells in the pancreas. Type 1 diabetes usually manifests in childhood, < 20 years of age – the reason for which it was formerly termed juvenile diabetes, and is more prevalent in Caucasians then in any other ethnicity (Diabetes Basics, n.d.). The key to proper management is early detection, patient education, and most importantly patient compliance.
An astounding 347 million individuals (WHO-Danaei.G) are inflicted with Diabetes mellitus (DM), a type of metabolic disease that’s significantly influenced by hyperglycemia (causing individuals to generate high blood sugar) and can be characterized by the insufficient production or improper reaction to insulin. There are three different types of DM: Type 1, Type 2, and Gestational diabetes, all of which share common symptoms include polyuria (frequent urination), polydipsia (increased thirst), and polyphagia (increased hunger) (Ahuja 1139). Generally, diabetes prevents the ingested glucose from entering the cells, ultimately depriving the body of its’ main source of energy.
Diabetes is a lifelong disease that can affect both children and adults. This disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. It claims about 178,000 lives each year. Type one diabetes, also known as insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, usually occurs in people less than thirty years of age, but it also may appear at any age. Diabetes is a very serious disease with many life threatening consequences, but if it is taken care of properly, diabetics can live a normal life.
“Diabetes mellitus (sometimes called "sugar diabetes") is a condition that occurs when the body can't use glucose (a type of sugar) normally. 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” (Diabetes Mellitus).
Diabetes mellitus (or diabetes) is a chronic, lifelong condition that affects your body's ability to use the energy in food. This means that a person has too much glucose in the blood. There are three major types of diabetes, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes. All types of diabetes mellitus have something in common. Normally, your body breaks down the sugars and carbohydrates you eat into a special sugar called glucose. Glucose fuels the cells in your body. But the cells need insulin, a hormone, in your bloodstream in order to take in the glucose and use it for energy. Insulin is produced in the pancrea...