Diabetes What is diabetes? Diabetes is a disease associated with the inability to store and metabolise glucose effectively. In the UK alone there are just under 3 million people diagnosed with diabetes and approximately 850,000 who are not aware that they have it. (Nhs.uk, 2014) Because the transporters for glucose to be stored and metabolised are Insulin dependent in most areas of the body (except the Blood Brain Barrier), an absence or deficiency in Insulin results in Increased levels of glucose in the blood. Diabetes is diagnosed when the blood glucose level of a normal healthy individual is above 11.1mmol/l and in a fasting state above 7mmol/l. Diabetes can occur because of two factors: Due to the inability to produce Insulin from the Pancreatic Beta cells located in the Islet of Langerhans. This occurs because the Body’s Immune system identifies the Beta cells as “foreign” material. B lymphocytes synthesise antibodies specific to the Beta cell and these cause more B and T lymphocytes to travel to the Islets. T cells are also involved and secrete chemical messengers called cytokines which allow communication between the immune cells to co-ordinate the attack. Cytokines advocate the necrosis of Beta cells and, and this leads to a larger production of Immunoglobins targeting specifically the Insulin within them. This causes the Beta cells to swell up also known as “Insulitis”, and is the early stages of Diabetes. Most people don’t realise they are developing diabetes because symptoms apparent for several years, and by this time over 90% of their Beta cells are destroyed and are unable to be restored. This is referred to as “Insulin Dependent Diabetes” and occurs in the early stages of life usually between the ages of 5 and 20... ... middle of paper ... ...ng - Diabetes UK. [online] Available at: http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Monitoring/Testing/ [Accessed 21 May. 2014]. Articles Mozo, V. (2010). How High Sugar Level in Blood Damages the Blood Vessels - Biology Online. [online] Biology-online.org. Available at: http://www.biology-online.org/articles/high-sugar-level-blood-damages.html [Accessed 22 May. 2014]. House, P. (n.d.). Top 10 Foods Highest in Carbohydrates (To Limit or Avoid). [online] Healthaliciousness.com. Available at: http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/foods-highest-in-carbohydrates.php [Accessed 20 May. 2014]. Books Katzen, H. and Mahler, R. (1977). Diabetes, obesity, and vascular disease. 1st ed. Washington: Hemisphere Pub. Corp. ; New York : distributed by Halsted Press, p.637. Gan, D. (2003). Diabetes atlas. 1st ed. Brussels: International Diabetes Federation, p.73.
Type 1 diabetes develops when the beta-cells are killed off by the immune system. This is because an inflammation is caused which the immune system fights off, ultimately destroying all/majority of beta cells. The role of the beta cells is to produce insulin within the pancreas. The beta cells are signalled when to release insulin’s to certain parts of the body. A person with type 1 diabetes is likely to have lost 70-80%1 of their beta-cells mass which is why they must manually inject insulin into themselves to maintain a healthy blood glucose level. When the blood glucose level falls (hypoglycaemia) you begin to lose energy.
During the year 1889, two researchers, Joseph Von Mering and Oskar Minkowski, discovered the disease that is known today as diabetes. Diabetes is a disease in which the insulin levels (a hormone produced in unique cells called the islets of Langerhans found in the pancreas) in the bloodstream are irregular and therefore affect the way the body uses sugars, as well as other nutrients. Up until the 1920’s, it was known that being diagnosed with diabetes was a death sentence which usually affected “children and adults under 30.” Those who were diagnosed were usually very hungry and thirsty, which are two of the symptoms associated with diabetes. However, no matter how much they ate, their bodies wouldn’t be able to use the nutrients due to the lack of insulin.
According WebMD 2014. Diabetes mellitus (or diabetes) is a chronic, lifelong condition that affects your body's ability to use the energy found in food. There are three major types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes mellitus, type 2 diabetes mellitus and gestational diabetes. It is a hormonal disorder of the pancreas either decrease in insulin level also known as hypoinsulinism or increase in insulin level also known as hyperinsulinism. Lowered amounts, insufficient of, or ineffective use of insulin leads to the disorder of diabetes mellitus. It is common chronic disease requiring lifelong behavioral and lifestyle changes. According to Peakman (2012). The development of type 1 diabetes mellitus is a genetic and an autoimmune process that results in destruction of the beta cells of the pancreas, leading to absolute insulin deficiency. There is usually a pre-diabetic phase where autoimmunity has already developed but with no clinically apparent insulin dependency. Insulin autoantibodies can be detected in genetically predisposed individuals as early as 6-12 months of age. In persons genetically susceptible to type 1 diabetes, a triggering event, possibly a viral infection the leads to production of autoantibodies that kill the beta cells and results in decline and a lack of insulin secretion. According to Wherrett. It is caused by impaired insulin secretion and insulin resistance and has a gradual onset. Those with type 2 diabetes may eventually need insulin treatment. Gestational diabetes mellitus is glucose intolerance during pregnancy in a woman not previously diagnosed with diabetes, this may occur if placental hormones counteract insulin, causing insulin intolerance. Complications in diabetes mellitus includes: Hypoglycemia it is ca...
The main cause of diabetes is that the insulin produced by the pancreas is not working properly so the body has an abnormally high blood glucose level. There are two important reasons why this happens: either there is no insulin present in the body, Type 1 Diabetes, or there is insulin present but it is unable to work, Type 2 Diabetes.
The pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus in is related to the insulin hormone. Insulin is secreted by cells in the pancreas and is responsible for regulating the level of glucose in the bloodstream. It also aids the body in breaking down the glucose to be used as energy. When someone suffers from diabetes, however, the body does not break down the glucose in the blood as a result of abnormal insulin metabolism. When there are elevated levels of glucose in the blood, it is known as hyperglycemia. If the levels continue to remain high over an extended period of time, damage can be done to the kidneys, cardiovascular systems; you can get eye disorders, or even cause nerve damage. When the glucose levels are low in one’s body, it is called hypoglycemia. A person begins to feel very jittery, and possibly dizzy. If that occurs over a period of time, the person can possibly faint. Diabetes mellitus occurs in three different forms - type 1, type 2, and gestational.
Diabetes is a chronic disorder of metabolism characterized by a partial or complete deficiency of the hormone insulin. With this, there are metabolic adjustments that occur everywhere in the body. Specific to this child is Type One Diabetes. This is characterized by demolition of the pancreatic beta cells, which produce insulin. Because of this, it leads to complete insulin deficiency. Within Type One diabetes, there are two different forms. First there is immune-mediated deficiency, which typically results from an autoimmune destruction of the beta cells. The second type is called idiopathic type one, in which the cause is unknown. (Wong, Hockenberry, Wilson, 2015)
Accordingto Diabetes UK (2012) “There are currently 3.8 million people in the UK with diabetes, including an estimated 850,000 people who have Type 2 diabetes but do not know it.” Helping to shape their services and work, Diabetes UK makes sure to involve people affected by and at risk of diabetes no matter what ethnic background they come from. From support and care to preventing, campaigning, fundraising and researching, they work to take on the fastest growing epidemic in the UK.
Type 1 diabetes has a genetic onset that often occurs in adolescence (Porth, 2005). It is an autoimmune disease in which the insulin-producing beta cells within the liver are destroyed (Dorman, 1993). This causes a deficiency in insulin secretion, which ultimately leads to high blood glucose levels, also referred to as hyperglycemia (Guthrie & Guthrie, 2004). The mechanism for insulin deficiency leading to hyperglycemia is described in more detail in the following section and in Figure 1.
Diabetes is a disease in which a person’s body in unable to make or utilize insulin properly which affects blood sugar levels. Insulin is a hormone that is produced in the pancreas, which helps to regulate glucose (sugar) levels, break down carbohydrates and fats, and is essential to produce the body’s energy. The CDC (2013) offers reliable insight, summarized here, into the different types of diabetes, some causes, and health complications that may arise from the disease.
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).
Obesity is becoming a major health problem in developing countries like Australia, North America, Europe and other developing nations. The Australian Diabetes, obesity and life style study (AUSDIAB) predicts the changes in glucose indices; health behaviour and incidence of diabetes in 5 year follow up experiments among 5842 participants (Barr et al., 2007). This study suggests that a large number of Australians suffered mortality due to cardiovascular diseases associated with abnormal glucose metabolism every year. The Framingham Heart Study revealed that hypertension, diabetes and left ventricular remodelling lead to the development of congestive heart failure (Levy et al., 1996). The Framingham Heart Study also found that a 5% increase in weight increases the chance of hypertension by 30% over a four-year period of time. An increased sympathetic activity, impaired renin-angiotensin system, retention of fluid volume, peripheral vasoconstriction, dyslipidaemia, increased blood viscosity due to the increased haematocrit and fibrinogen may increase pressure overload on heart in obesity (Schunkert, 2002). Several studies also suggest that the cause of hypertension itself may contribute to left ventricular hypertrophy in obese individuals as the increase of BMI increases the chance of hypertension (De Simone et al., 1994; Avelar et al., 2007). High dietary fat intake increases the expression of angiotensin IB(AT1B) and Endothelin A (ETA) receptors (Neilsen et al., 2004; Zhang et al., 2005). Plasma concentrations of angiotensin II and endothelin 1 (physiological vasoconstrictor agents) were increased in both obese patients and animal models (Barton et al., 2000; Neilsen et al., 2004; Zhang et al., 2005). Recent studies have shown that reduced synthesis of nitric oxide (NO; a major vasodilator) from L-arginine in endothelial cells is a major factor contributing to the impaired action of insulin in the vasculature of obese and diabetic subjects. Obesity results from an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure. Growing evidence suggests that arginine plays an important role in regulating metabolism of energy substrates in mammals (Frank et al. 2007; Jobgen et al. 2006). NO is synthesized from L-arginine by NO synthase. As a signalling molecule, physiological levels of NO stimulate glucose uptake, as well as glucose and fatty-acid oxidation in skeletal muscle, heart, liver, and adipose tissues (Jobgen et al. 2006). Nitric oxide also inhibits the synthesis of glucose, glycogen and lipid in liver and adipose tissues and enhances lipolysis in subcutaneous adipocytes (Jobgen et al.
Diabetes is a disease that causes an abnormally high level of sugar, or glucose, to build up in the blood. Glucose comes from food we consume and also from our liver and muscles. Blood delivers glucose to all the cells in the body. In people without diabetes, the pancreas makes a chemical called insulin which is released into the blood stream. Insulin helps the glucose from the food get into cells. When the pancreas doesn’t make insulin, it can’t get into the cells and the insulin stays in the blood stream. The blood glucose level gets very high, causing the person to have type one diabetes.
Heart disease and obesity goes hand in hand. There is much more of a common occurrence for people who are overweight will more and li...
When the blood sugar levels aren’t normal, it’s a disease called diabetes. Diabetes (diabetes mellitus) is a deficiency of the hormone insulin or the inhibition of its action with the cells. The insulin acts like a bridge between the glucose and the cells. In the US there are about 16 million people who suffer from diabetes. It is the seventh most common cause of all deaths. Diabetes is most common in Native American females over 45 years of age.
Diabetes mellitus refers to a group of diseases that affect how your body uses blood glucose, commonly called blood sugar. Glucose is vital to your health because it's an important source of energy for the cells that make up your muscles and tissues. Glucose comes from two different sources, your liver and food. It's also your brain's main source of fuel. Glucose is made and stored in the liver. When your blood sugar gets low then your liver will use the stored glucose to keep your blood sugar level normal. If you have diabetes it means you have too much glucose in your blood. This is where insulin comes in. Diabetes is a growing epidemic in America's many nutritional diseases. There are a few factors that can cause or increase a person's chance of getting diabetes. Poor nutritional choices are a big factor in the cause of diabetes. The sad part is the increase is happening to the young children and teenagers in America. I will talk about what diabetes is, the increase in diabetes and why it’s so high, the complications that follow the diagnosis, and how it can be treated or reduced with diet and exercise.