Diabetes: Prevention and Treatment

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Public health emphasizes the importance of prevention and proactively taking care of one’s body. As people grow older, they must follow certain guidelines to ensure that they age healthily and successfully. One of the biggest concerns facing the aging population is chronic diseases. Chronic diseases are long term diseases that have a slow progression. Once chronic diseases pass “certain symptomatic or diagnostic thresholds,” they become a permanent aspect of an individual’s life because “medical and personal regimens can sometimes control but can rarely cure them” (Albert and Freeman 105). One chronic condition that is a cause of concern is diabetes. Diabetes is not only one of the leading causes of death in the over 65 population but also one of the most prevalent and debilitating conditions (111).

Diabetes is a chronic disease or condition that involves the hormone insulin, which helps regulate the amount of glucose in a person’s bloodstream. When cells are in need of energy the pancreas produce insulin; this mechanism allows cells to absorb glucose from the bloodstream. Diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or the body has become resistant to its own insulin; this leaves an excess amount of glucose in the bloodstream as there is no insulin present to guide it to the cells (“Diabetes”). There are two types of diabetes that affects the worldwide population: Type I and Type II. Type I is typically prevalent in children and is characterized by an insulin deficiency. Type II diabetes is adult onset and occurs when the body is resistant to the insulin it produces. Type II affects approximately 90 percent of people with diabetes around the world. Due to the similarity in symptoms between both types...

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Span, Paula. "For Elderly Diabetics, Questions About Aggressive Care." New York Times. New York Times, 11 Apr. 2011. Web. 03 May 2012. .

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