Diabetes : A Common Chronic Disease

Diabetes is a disease where the body is unable to produce or use insulin effectively. Insulin is needed for proper storage and use of carbohydrates. Without it, blood sugar levels can become too high or too low, resulting in a diabetic emergency. It affects about 7.8% of the population. The incidence of diabetes is known to increase with age. It’s the leading cause of end-stage renal disease in the US, and is the primary cause of blindness and foot and leg amputation. It is known to cause neuropathy in up to 70% of diabetic patients. Individuals with diabetes are twice as likely to develop cardiovascular disease. There are two types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2.

Uncontrolled diabetes can affect nearly every organ of the body; of which, heart disease and kidney failure are most commonly impacted. Known as diabetes mellitus, a collective term for various blood abnormalities, the term diabetes refers to either a scarcity of insulin in the body or the body’s inability to accept insulin. Though the symptoms of diabetes are manageable, many are unaware as to having it. According to the CDC report “2011 Diabetes Fact Sheet,” approximately 6 million people in the United States have undiagnosed diabetes. Undetected, diabetes can become deadly. In a recent World Health Organization report “Diabetes Action Now: An Initiative of the World Health Organization and the International Diabetes Federation,” it

Diabetes is a disease that affects the body’s ability to produce or use insulin. It is a precursor to numerous other diseases, which can quickly deteriorate patient’s health if

Diabetes has been around for many years and even though our healthcare system in the United States is better than many years ago, it’s still a current problem that our society has to deal with. We have better understanding of diabetes and we don’t have doctors tasting the patients’ urine, instead we have lab test that can tell a story on the potential diagnoses that a person might have. Five years ago Ofelia a 58 year old female, got diagnosed with type II diabetes and hypertension. Her early symptoms that she had before being diagnosed with diabetes were feeling thirsty all the time. Ofelia stated, “Even though I kept drinking a lot of water, I was still thirsty. I would constantly have to go to the bathroom. I was tired all the time” (O.Navarro , personal interview, March 17,2017). When Ofelia was diagnosed with diabetes her blood sugar reading was at 525mg/dL. Ofelia has limited resources since she lives in Mexico: when she was first diagnosed she would go to the government clinic. She stated, “My diabetes was not in control. Every time I went to the clinic I would have different doctors who kept on changing my medications. I felt like nothing was controlling it and no one talked to me about how to control it” (O.Navarro, personal interview, March 17, 2017). The only thing that the doctors would tell Ofelia, was to walk and to cut down on the salts, but never

Diabetes is associated with wide range of complications such as chronic renal failure, blindness, amputations, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and neuropathy (Alotabi, A., et al., 2016). There is no known cure for diabetes, but the disease can be controlled through health management that includes multiple perspectives of care such as medications, blood glucose monitoring, diet, nutrition, screening for long-term complications and regular physical activity (Alotabi, A., et al., 2016). Managing diabetes may be complicated and requires the knowledge and skills of both healthcare providers and the clients. Studies have shown that to prevent or delay diabetic complications due to diabetes, counseling and other lifestyle interventions are the effective therapy. Even with many policies set up for diabetes, 8.1 million Americans are undiagnosed with diabetes mellitus, and approximately 86 million Americans ages 20 and older have blood glucose levels that considerably increase their risk of developing Diabetes Mellitus in the next several years (CDC, 2015). For diabetes care to be successful there needs to be a good understanding of the disease and management by both patients and healthcare providers,

Produced by beta cells in the pancreas, insulin is vital to humans’ existence. By regulating the cellular intake of glucose from the blood stream, insulin regulates the levels of sugar in the blood. It seems a very nominal process; however, disrupting the body’s production or response to insulin can have very dire consequences. Type 1 diabetes is when the body no longer produces insulin, and if left untreated, glucose, from food, and kentones, from fat degradation, will build up in the individual’s bloodstream. If left untreated, the condition is fatal. Type 2 diabetes is when the body’s cells are no longer responsive, or have a lessoned response, to insulin. Such a condition can cause poor circulation, resulting in amputations, and ailments such as blindness. Type 2 diabetes can also be fatal. Thus, even though synthetic insulin and corrective diets are available for diabetics, more research is needed to find ways to regenerate beta cells for individuals with type 1 diabetes. On a personal note, this subject matter appeals to me, because my younger brother had type 1 diabetes, and if enough people put hard work into researching this disease, maybe one day they will have a cure.

Diabetes mellitus is one of the leading chronic diseases that can cause high rates of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Diabetes mellitus is characterized by hyperglycemia due to a lack of insulin, insulin resistance, or both. The four main types of diabetes mellitus include type 1 diabetes mellitus, type 2 diabetes mellitus, gestational diabetes mellitus, and other specific types (Darby, 2015, 824). A high rate of periodontal disease has been reported with type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus (Al-Maskari, et al. 2011). Other manifestations are associated with diabetes mellitus and can cause discomfort for patients with diabetes. It is important for the dental hygienist to observe early identifications of diabetes mellitus and prepare a treatment plan to increase the quality of the patient’s life.

Diabetes is a lifelong disease. Approximately 29.1 million Americans have the disease and almost one third (or approximately 9.2 million) are unaware that they have it. An additional 41 million people have pre-diabetes. As of yet, there is no cure.3 People with diabetes need to manage their disease to stay healthy. The management options available depend on the type of diabetes the patient has. The major goal of any diabetes treatment is not to provide a cure. But it is meant to serve as a regulator that controls blood sugar (glucose) levels in order to prevent further complications of the disease such as nerve damage or breakdown of other organs (i.e. the appendix).

Chronic disease is a long lasting condition that is progressive and can be controlled but not cured. Chronic diseases are prevalent worldwide and it is the leading cause of death in the world. The World Health Organization stated that almost half of all chronic deaths happen in people under the age of 70. There are many different types of chronic diseases and there are different treatment, interventions or approaches for each disease. In this paper, I will be touching on the impact of chronic disease, the various models that go together with chronic disease; the interventions and I will also be talking about two different types of chronic disease, heart disease and diabetes.

Diabetes is a metabolic disease that is caused by due to defects in insulin secretion, action or both and is characterized by hyperglycemia. If left uncontrolled with proper treatment, diabetes could cause damage, dysfunction, and failure of different organs, especially the eyes (retinopathy), kidneys (nephropathy), nerves (neuropathy), heart, and blood vessels. Hyperglycemia with ketoacidosis or nonketotic hyperosmolar syndrome is the other acute consequences of uncontrolled diabetes and is life threatening. 1

Diabetes Mellitus is a serious disease shared by 16 million Americans (PharmInfoNet1). It is a disease characterized by a failure of the pancreas to produce enough if any insulin. Insulin is the chemical in the body that turns sugar into usable energy. “While it is treatable, diabetes is still a killer. The fourth leading cause of death in America, diabetes claims an estimated 178,000 lives each year. So the treatment is aimed at holding the disease in check, reversing it where possible, and preventing complications” (Hingley 33). Due to the life threatening nature of diabetes, the necessity of controlling it is absolutely imperative. Philip Cryer, M.D., president of the American Diabetes Association and a professor at Washington

Diabetes is a major problem in our society today. Many people have heard about the disease; however, they do not know too much about its complications. Diabetes is a chronic, progressive and lifelong condition that affects the body’s ability to use the energy found in food (WebMD, 2016). Many new cases are confirmed every year and unfortunately, many go undiagnosed for years. Diabetes is a serious disease and need to be taking seriously. The disease can lead to many other health problems such as blindness, nerve damage and kidney diseases. The more the community understand and made aware of the seriousness of the disease, the better it can be control and or prevented.

According to the 2014 National Diabetes Statistics Report, “29.1 people have diabetes.”3 Almost three times more than that number, about 86 million individuals have prediabetes. Perhaps even more alarming, “9 out of 10 people with prediabetes”3 don’t even know they are in that condition. This makes it even worse because without knowing they are at risk of having diabetes, they will never take the necessary measures of taking care of themselves to prevent developing their prediabetes to diabetes. With so many people at risk and

Diabetes mellitus, known simply as diabetes, is a widespread disease in which blood glucose levels increase due to a deficiency in insulin secretion or a decreased cell response to insulin (Reece et al., 2011). Blood glucose is not regulated, as the insufficient amount of insulin created is unable to process and break down the blood glucose in our body (Bailey, 2008). The two common types of diabetes mellitus are type 1 and type 2, in which, respectively, insulin production is absent and there is cell resistance to insulin (Kishore, 2012). Since there is no current cure for diabetes (Vinik et al., 2004), the disease is controlled by insulin injections, medication, anti-diabetic drugs, healthy eating and exercise (Bailey,

Diabetes is a systemic disease caused by a decrease in the secretion of insulin or reduced sensitivity or responsiveness to insulin by target tissue. (Beale, et al., 2011) The incidence of diabetes is growing rapidly in the United States and worldwide. An estimated 347 million people around the world are afflicted with diabetes. (Whalen, et al., 2012) According to World Health Organization (WHO), Diabetes prevalence among adults over 18 years of age has risen from 4.7% in 1980 to 8.5% in 2014. It is the major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attack, stroke and limbic amputation. World Health Organization (WHO) projects that diabetes will be the 7th leading cause of death in 2030. It is a complex and costly disease that can affect nearly every organ in the body and result in devastating consequences. The leading cause of non-traumatic lower extremity amputations, renal failure, and blindness in working-age adults, diabetes is also a major cause of premature mortality, stroke, cardiovascular disease, peripheral vascular disease, congenital malformations, perinatal mortality, and disability. (Cefalu, 2000) Insulin therapy and oral hypoglycemic agents have demonstrated improvement in glycaemic control. However, Insulin therapy has some disadvantages such as ineffectiveness following oral administration, short shelf life, of the need for constant refrigeration, and fatal hypoglycaemia, in the event of excess dosage.