Diabetes Mellitus As A Disability

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.

The American Diabetes Association (2004) defines diabetes as a subset of metabolic diseases associated with hyperglycemia secondary to insulin failing to release, act, or both. Complications related to chronic diabetes can be detrimental to one’s health including but not limited to: heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, amputations, blindness, and other optical diseases. Furthermore, the prevalence of diabetes is rising at an astronomical rate within the United States as well as internationally. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2016) an estimated 29 million people suffer with diabetes and 86 million are prediabetic within the United States (US). Without major interventions from the healthcare community,

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 mellitus (DM) is a pandemic that affects millions of people. The growth rate of unrecognized pre-diabetes in America is expected to rise up to 52% by 2020 (Lorenzo, 2013). As the prevalence of diabetes increases, so will the complications and burden of the disease. One of the leading causes for cardiovascular disease, renal failure, nontraumatic lower limb amputations, stroke, and new cases of blindness is DM (Lorenzo, 2013).

Did you know diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States? (Fukunaga, 2011). Many are unaware approximately 25.8 million American’s, 8.3% of the population suffer from diabetes. Type II Diabetes Mellitus (DM II) is by far the most prevalent and accounts for 90-95 percent of the 25.8 million diabetic patients. The long term complications of DM II make it a devastating disease. It is the leading cause of adult blindness, end-stage kidney disease, and non-traumatic lower limb amputation (Lewis, Dirksen, Heitkemper, & Bucher 2014, p. 1154). Not only is diabetes debilitating to patients but also the health and employment costs are substantial. According to Fukunaga (2011), “The estimated national cost of diabetes exceeds

Diabetes mellitus has a worldwide prevalence of 8.3 percent of the population with the amount of new cases diagnosed per year

now become one of the leading causes of death among Americans. According to the American

The United States is a collection of multicultural and diverse individuals and communities (Dreachlin, Gilbert, & Malone, 2013). People of all races, ethnicities, religions, and diversities, each with their own uniqueness, now comprise our health care system. However; in one way we are all the same.

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,

Diabetes is split into two types, Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 is the more severe of the two

In 2012, 29.1 million Americans, or 9.3% of the population, had diabetes. Of the 29.1 million, 21.0 million were diagnosed, and 8.1 million were undiagnosed. "In 1996 diabetes contributed to more than 162,000 deaths"(Lewis 1367). According to, well known, diabetes researcher McCance "Diabetes mellitus is not a single disease but a group of disorders with glucose intolerance in common" (674). Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia (increased blood sugar) and results from defective insulin production, secretion, and utilization. How can us Americans reduce the wide spread of this disease? The first step is to be informed on its complications, and signs so you can avoid accidentally bringing it upon yourself.

There are two main types of diabetes mellitus: type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.

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.

“Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic multisystem disease related to abnormal insulin production, impaired insulin utilization, or both” (Lazear, 2014, p. 1153). The two most common types of diabetes mellitus are known as type 1 and type 2. Type 1 has been previously referred to as “juvenile-onset diabetes” or “insulin-dependent diabetes” (Lazear, 2014). Even though type 1 can occur at any age, the primary age group is younger than 30 years old (Smeltzer, Bare, Hinkle, & Cheever, 2010). Other problems associated with type 1 diabetes are the destruction of the pancreatic B cells, which are located within the pancreas islets of Langerhans, resulting in decreased insulin production, and causing increased blood sugar levels in the body (Smeltzer et al., 2010). Therefore, insulin is necessary to help transport glucose back into the cells to normalize blood sugar levels. The other form of diabetes, type 2, is known as “adult-onset diabetes (AODM)” or “non-independent diabetes (NIDDM)” (Lazear, 2014). Type 2 is different in the fact that the pancreas does produce insulin, also known as “endogenous” meaning self-made, but not enough is produced to fulfill the bodies need (Lazear, 2014). “The presence of endogenous insulin is a major distinction between type 1 and type 2 diabetes” (Lazear, 2014, p. 1156). Overall, there are three classic symptoms associated with type 1 and type 2. “Classic clinical manifestations of all types of diabetes include the “three

Diabetes Mellitus is “a group of metabolic diseases characterized by hyperglycemia resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action or both. It is a disease which is caused by the insufficient insulin secretion or decrease in the peripheral effects of insulin. It is a serious problem in terms of morbidity and mortality. The hyperglycemia is associated with long term damage, dysfunction and failure of various organs especially the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart and blood vessels. It’s associated with many complications which includes blindness of the eyes and amputations of the extremities. It is also associated with neuropathy, retinopathy, and cardiovascular diseases which lead to mortalities.