Essay on Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic disease that is modifiable and preventable through diet and exercise. The incidence of T2DM is propagated by a sedentary lifestyle and excessive caloric intake. Maintenance of a desirable body weight, diet, and exercise are the mainstay therapy for T2DM (Buttaro, Trybulski, Bailey, & Sanberg-Cook, 2013).

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is not classed as single disorder as it represents a series of conditions associated with high blood sugar which are cased in turn by defects in insulin secretion or the effectiveness of insulin or both. It is usually diagnosed by evidence of hyperglycaemia in a fasting state (>7.1 mmol/l plasma glucose) or threw an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)( >11.1mmol/l plasma glucose). It can be diagnosed in adults who are not pregnant by a glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) level ( 6.5% or > 48 mmol/mol) (NICE 2011).

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that is characterised by hyperglycaemia. This is a result from a deficiency in insulin action and secretion. Symptoms of hyperglycaemia include polyuria, polydipsia, weight loss, blurred vision and on some occasions, polyphagia. If the disease becomes chronic is patients, it can lead to dysfunction, long-term damage and failure of organs http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2613584/?report=classic.

Some of the symptoms that I had as a result of this type of diabetes include:

Did you know that an estimated 11.2 million Americans age 65 or older are living with diabetes? That’s 1-in-4 adults over the age of 60 that will be diagnosed with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Those who have already been diagnose with the disease have already learned how to many their condition over time. Even after to adjusting your lifestyle over time due to the disease, the initial diagnosis can be overwhelming. As loved ones and caregivers, you want to provide them with the support and help they need to continue to enjoy a healthy, happy life. The Woodlands Family Care Centers has a few helpful tips that can you avoid or delay complications that are found to be associated with diabetes.

Due to hyperglycemia and lack of insulin, many people experience some classic symptoms of diabetes such as excessive hunger, excessive thirst, increased urine volume, and unexplained weight loss. (Gwinnett Medical Center Health Series) Some long term symptoms of type 2 diabetes that may appear over time include: fatigue, recurrent infections, changes in vision, itching, and possible tingling or prickling skin sensations.

Diabetics don’t live a normal lifestyle. They can’t do all the same things as someone without Diabetes. Diabetic are restricted from many things. As a Diabetic they have to be knowledgeable on what they put in their body. For example, there are certain diets that Diabetics can NOT go on. One of them being a “no carb diet”. Diabetics need insulin in order to survive. For their body to produce insulin they NEED carbs. Also, they have to inject insulin into their body depending on how many carbs they are eating during that meal. Carbohydrates are an essential for a Diabetic. Another diet Diabetics should never go on are “no food diets”. Diabetics also are advised , not to smoke. Diabetes and smoking is an awful mixture because then they will greatly

“Direct evidence of the benefits of early detection of type 2 diabetes by screening are lacking and are now unlikely to be obtained.” Khunti K, Davies M (2012)

Type 2 Diabetes also known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes, the most common diabetes, affecting 95% of the 29.1 million Americans or 9.3% of the diabetic population of United States in 2012.

The health problems linked to T2DM are largely diversified. Within AAC and African immigrants, there is a similar genetic tendency with a higher than normal level of Impaired Glucose Tolerance, which is equivalent to a primary phase of diabetes. As fact, research states that “Investigations of the genetic variation-underlying risk of T2D in African-Americans yield results that often support the existence of conserved biological pathways.” (PNC, 2017). Moreover, the obesity is another risk factor along with lifestyles such as lack of exercise and unbalanced diet. The symptoms of T2DM can be easily distinguishable; therefore, people with T2DM are incredibly thirsty, and they may have other symptoms including, dry mouth, blurred vision, frequent urination, headaches, increased hunger, gain weight, fatigue…etc. All symptoms of the disease show that T2DM do not start suddenly, but when the preliminary phase is neglected, the T2DM becomes chronic, leading hyperglycemia, hypertension, kidney disease, nervous system disease, amputation, heart disease and stroke, to name just a few. Another aspect of risk factors are the lack of health insurance because of poverty of a large group within the community and lack of adequate resources as

Untreated type two diabetes can cause short term and long term complications. Two short term issue is hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. Hypoglycemia is wen your blood glucose drops to a severely low level. Hyperglycemia is when your blood glucose levels skyrocket and reach a very high level. This relates to the chart above and how long it takes a type 2 diabetic’s blood glucose to return to normal. Blood vessels can be damaged by excessive blood glucose levels which effects blood flow to the eyes, kidneys and nerves. (Endocrine Web)

Frequent urination leads to excessive water loss and dehydration, which seriously jeopardizes health. Being extremely thirsty is another symptom. A person becomes thirsty because of the loss of water through urine. Excess sugar concentrates the blood, which also triggers thirst. Fatigue occurs because glucose is unable to be effectively used as a fuel by muscle cells. They are "fuel deprived" and are less able to perform work. Dehydration also causes fatigue. Weight loss is another symptom of a diabetic. It may be slow or rapid. Lots of people with early diabetes actually eat more and still continue to lose weight. This is due to the amount of water loss and the increased breakdown of fat and protein tissues, as the body makes up for poor glucose utilization. Hunger is also a symptom because glucose is unavailable to cells as fuel. Blurry vision develops as the rapidly rising blood sugar levels cause fluid shifts in the lens of the eye. Lastly, infections of the gums, bladder, skin, and vagina become harder to treat. This is

First, extreme fatigue may occur in individuals with type 2 diabetes because the body is being tremendously deprived of sugar which is fuel for the body thus causing sleepiness and even irritability (“Symptoms”). Second, this condition can also cause increase thirst and frequent urination. According to the Mayo Clinic this occurs because “Excess sugar building up in your bloodstream causes fluid to be pulled from the tissues.”. Third, increased hunger may occur because your body is not producing enough insulin to distribute sugar throughout, the muscles and organs become depleted of energy (“Symptoms”). Fourth, the condition affects the way the body can heal and protect itself from multiple types of infections. Fifth, blurred vision is common because when the body’s blood sugar is too high it pulls fluids from the eyes causing blurred and unfocused vision. The sixth symptom that may occur is tingling, numbness, or pain can occur in the hands or feet because the body’s tiny blood vessels are being exposed to excess sugar which can lead injury leading to the sensation of tingling, numbness, or pain in the tips of the fingers or toes (“Symptoms”). Lastly, type 2 diabetes can cause certain areas of the body, mostly in folds and creases, to appear darker than others due to insulin resistance (“Symptoms”).

Unhealthy lifestyles can lead to many life threatening diseases. One example of a life threatening disease is diabetes mellitus. It is a disorder caused by the inability to make or respond to insulin, a hormone that prompts cells to take in glucose from the bloodstream. It can occur in several forms, but the two main types are Type I and Type II diabetes. Most cases of Type I diabetes happens in children and adolescents. It is caused by “autoimmune destruction of the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas.” The body cannot produce insulin. Type II diabetes is more popular. It’s responsible for 90% of the cases of diabetes. Type II diabetes occurs when the body cannot use insulin properly. It results either in insulin deficiency or insulin resistance

Type II Diabetes or insulin resistance is the condition where the body makes insulin (hormone that is needed by the cells to turn glucose from the foods we eat into energy), but the body is unable to use it properly. To compensate for this, the pancreas produces more insulin. However, overtime the insulin accumulates in the blood which leads to various health complications (WebMD, 2013). Dietary teaching for Mr. Smith who has type 2 diabetes would include information on the recommended amount of foods to consume from the relative groups, the foods to limit or avoid if possible and alcohol consumption guidelines.