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Diabetes: A Case Study

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Diabetes mellitus (DM), also known as diabetes, is a disease that directly affects the way the endocrine system produces or uses insulin throughout the body. When a person has diabetes, the pancreas does not produce a sufficient amount of insulin or the body becomes resistant to the insulin produced; these factors depend on which type of diabetes the patient is diagnosed with (Hart & Loeffler, 2015). Insulin is a vital component in the body used to convert glucose (sugar) in to energy. If the body cannot make or use insulin properly, patients exhibit hyperglycemia, which is an excessive amount of glucose in the blood. If diabetes is left untreated or not managed properly, the disease can cause severe and permanent damage to vital organs, diabetic coma, and cardiovascular disease and more (Adams & Proctor, 2013). Management of the disease is vitally important, and treatment will vary depending on which type of diabetes the patient is diagnosed with and how high blood glucose levels are (Watkins, 2013).
According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes can be categorized into four …show more content…

Many diabetics depend on antidiabetic medication to help with insulin resistance or insulin production, which in turn helps the body maintain homeostasis. Insulin is an antidiabetic medication and it can be administered through inhalation or parenteral (Insulin Basics, 2015). When insulin is given parenteral, it is injected into the subcutaneous (fatty) layer of the abdomen, thigh, upper and lower back, or the anterior (front) or posterior (back) part of the upper region of the arm (Adams & Proctor, 2013). Type 1 diabetics who are hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) and cannot control blood glucose levels, may require additional intervening treatment in the form of an insulin pump, which works to deliver and monitor blood glucose levels around the clock (Watkins,

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