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Chronic Conditions That Can Not Be Cured

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LTC’s are chronic conditions that cannot be cured but can be maintained and symptomatically controlled with medication and therapies (World Health Organisation [WHO], 2015; Department of Health [DOH], 2005). The management of LTC’s has been implemented due to the increase in the ageing population which in turn produces an increase in the incidence of LTC’s such as diabetes, Parkinson Disease [PD], pernicious anaemia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, neurological and heart conditions. Due to word restriction the author will discuss diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.
Diabetes is a lifelong condition that causes a person’s blood sugar to become too high or too low as the pancreas no longer produces the right amount, or any, insulin (NHS Choices, 2014). Insulin is a hormone which is released from the pancreas, working by moving sugar from the blood into other body tissues enabling the liver to stop producing excessive glucose. There are two main types of diabetes, type1 and type 2. Once known as childhood diabetes or insulin dependent diabetes, type 1 is much rarer than type 2 diabetes which occurs when the body becomes resistant to the effects of insulin (Mayo Clinic, 2016; MedlinePlus, 2016). Symptoms of diabetes include excessive thirst, frequent urination, tiredness, long healing wounds and unexplained weight loss which occurs due to glucose staying in the blood (Diabetes UK, 2016). If a patient develops diabetes and diet change or medications are unable to control

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