Diabetes Mellitus Research Paper

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DIABETES MELLITUS

Diabetes Mellitus occurs when the pancreas is unable to produce a hormone called insulin to regulate metabolism. Without insulin the glucose (a sugar in the blood) cannot enter cells of the body and blood glucose levels will rise, resulting in Hyperglycemia. There are various forms diabetes; type one and type two diabetes and gestational diabetes, which is diabetes while being pregnant, or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or homeostasis, IGT is a pre-diabetic state of hyperglycemia that is associated with insulin resistance. Pre-diabetic patients with IGT have blood glucose levels that are high but they are not high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes yet. Lifestyle changes can help to reduce the IGT patients risk of developing diabetes mellitus these include; exercising regularly, limiting sugar and carbohydrate intake and …show more content…

Neuropathy occurs more with clients who have been diabetic for a long time. After years of excessive amounts of glucose the walls of tiny blood vessels can be damaged, these blood vessels usually nourish your nerves and when damaged can longer give nourishment causing neuropathy. When nerves don't function correctly they can no longer send messages to the brain to warn against dangers such as heat or cold causing the client with diabetic neuropathy the inability to sense being burned or temperatures that are too cold. Keeping blood glucose levels at a normal range can help in delaying the onset of diabetic neuropathy. The longer a client has diabetes and the more out of control the blood sugar is the risk for diabetic retinopathy increases. Retinopathy can develop in any one with type one or type two diabetes. According to the Mayo Clinic it is caused by damage to the blood vessels of the light sensitive tissue at the back of the eye (retina). In the beginning the client may experience no symptoms at all, but over time diabetic retinopathy can cause

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