Diabetes Mellitus Essay

type 2 diabetes. According to the CDC website, type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents,

With over 30 million people having diabetes, the prevalence is continuing to rise. An estimated 200,000 American youth are effected by type 1 diabetes and 40,000 new cases are diagnosed each year¹. The rate for type 1 diabetes in youth has increased by 1.8% each year. In comparison, the prevalence for type 2 diabetes in youth has increased at a rate of 4.8% annually². No matter whether diabetes is type 1 or type 2 in children, family involvement is essential for optimal outcomes³.

Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that is affecting children and adolescents. It occurs when a child is well above the normal weight for his or her age and height and can result in serious medical conditions. The prevalence of childhood obesity has increased significantly over the past ten years. Childhood diabetes has been on the rise since the early 90’s and continues to rise. In the article, “Don’t Blame the Eater” David Zinczenko, shows that “ Before 1994… only about 5 percent of childhood cases were obesity-related, or Type 2, diabetes. Today...Type 2 diabetes accounts for at least 30 percent of new childhood cases of diabetes in this country” (463). Type 2

Childhood obesity affects 12.5 million children and teens and this has continued to increase over the years because the heaviest are getting even heavier (“CDC Grand Rounds: Childhood Obesity in the United States.”). Obesity is a growing disease in the United States and it is only getting worse. Data has presented in a new study that 8 year old are having problems with their hearts, as obesity has taken over America. Of 20 obese children, 40% had enlarged hearts, therefore letting us know that the organ is strained. Children now are setting themselves up for longterm heart failure and disease and more and more children will undergo this problem if they do not make a change. Type 2 diabetes is becoming more common, in the 1980’s, this was unheard

You can get diabetes if you over eat or drink too much soda. The obesity rates in America are reportedly 18% for children, and 36% for adults. It is important to me to be a healthy, fit adult. Working out and exercising is important to eliminate health problems. Kids should be healthy so they don’t’ get health problems and become unhappy as adults.

Type 2 Diabetes: Form of diabetes mellitus in which the pancreas does not make enough insulin or the body is unable to make insulin correctly (Health the Basics, Chapter 12, pg 413).

Diabetes is a disease that causes an abnormally high level of sugar, or glucose, to build up in the blood. Glucose comes from food we consume and also from our liver and muscles. Blood delivers glucose to all the

In the article Type 2 Diabetes in Children and Young Adults: A New Epidemic by Francine Ratner Kaufman mentions that in the past decade there has been an increase in child obesity usually causing the diagnoses of type two diabetes in children. In this past decade there has been an over all eight to forty five percent increase. The increase of this diagnosis is now being referred to as the diabetes epidemic. According to Medical News Today, diabetes is also mentioned as the diabetes mellitus; it is a disorder in which a person has high blood glucose levels, because there is not enough insulin production or because the body does not respond to the insulin itself. People with this disorder experience frequent urination, extreme thirst, and increased hunger. Healthier school lunches will lead to healthier nutritional choices throughout the children’s life. Through making healthier school lunches normal, which include junk food as opposed to the children’s exceptions, he/she will unintentionally learn about nutrition, healthier meals and increase their knowledge about why eating healthy is a worthy choice. Children who are provided with sugary and fatty foods at school or at their homes can develop poor eating habits that can last a lifetime. If a children’s eating habit needs to be changed there is no better place than school, because it is where he/she spends most of his/her

Teens and children in North America are starting to suffer from diabetes at such an earlier age. This disease tends to be more common with children that are overweight. “..type 2 diabetes affect about 186,000 youth under age 20.”(Kaufman ,et al., 2009) Diabetes is very common when people create a diet full on unhealthy foods, no portion control and limited to no physical activity at all. Maintaining a healthy diet but also lifestyle is key when it comes to lowering your risk for diabetes. “Careful ongoing

In type 2 diabetes a person’s body produces insulin, but the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to maintain bodily functions or the body cannot use the insulin the way it is supposed to. When the body is unable to use insulin properly it is known as insulin resistance. “When there isn’t enough insulin or the insulin is not used as it should be, glucose (sugar) can’t get into the body’s cells” (WebMD, n.d.). When this happens glucose builds up in the blood and is not absorbed by the cells, which causes the body to not function properly. Some of the subsequent damage that can develop as a result of this

Diabetes mellitus, or better known as Diabetes, is an endocrine system disorder. In this case, your body is unable to produce enough or any insulin at all. Insulin, produced by the pancreas, has a very important role. When sugar is ingested from food, it is turned into energy for the cells in our body. Without insulin, the transfer of sugar into the cells would be compromised. Insulin is also vital to keep the right balance of sugar in the bloodstream (Hess-Fischl, 2015). If too much insulin is produced, blood sugar levels are decreased resulting in hypoglycemia. Hyperglycemia occurs when the blood sugar levels are increased (Sargis, n.d.).

“Diabetes is one of the leading chronic causes of deaths in children and adolescent’s in the United States. Diabetes mellitus is a group of diseases that is characterized by high levels of glucose in the bloodstream, resulting from defects in insulin production, insulin action or even both” (Overview, 1). “Diabetes is a serious health issue and can be associated with premature death or serious complications. Timely diagnosed treatment of diabetes can delay or prevent any onset of long-term complications, such as damage to blood vessels, kidneys, gums, skin, teeth, and many other complications” (Overview, 1). “Diabetes can be difficult to deal with during the time of adolescence. People with diabetes or those who have family members with diabetes should be very well informed” (Cho, 1).

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the rate of childhood obesity has doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years (“Childhood Obesity Facts”). With increasing rates of childhood obesity, it’s not a surprise that diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases found among children in the United States today (“Diabetes in Youth”). In fact, according to the American Diabetes Association, an estimated 208,000 Americans under the age of 20 will be diagnosed with diabetes in one year. Diabetes, or commonly referred to as diabetes mellitus by doctors and professionals, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person’s blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high. To understand how one’s body produces and reacts to sugar, one must have a basic knowledge of glucose and insulin. Humans obtain glucose from the foods they intake. Glucose is a vital source of energy for the body’s cells and tissues. Insulin is a hormone that allows cells to turn glucose into energy; insulin helps transport glucose into the body’s tissues, thus giving cells the energy required to carry out the processes necessary for life. If a person’s body does not produce enough insulin needed for the body to function efficiently, the glucose stays in their blood, thus accumulating and causing a high level of blood sugar. (Medline Plus)

What was once thought to be found only among adults has become one of the most common chronic diseases among children in the United States. Ordinarily, when diabetes strikes during childhood it is assumed to be type 1. The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study began in 2000 and has provided the most comprehensive estimates of the prevalence and incidence of type 2 diabetes among youth less than 20 years of age in the US (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that annually, an estimated 18,436 youth are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and 5,089 youth are diagnosed with type 2 among youth. In the last two decades, type 2 diabetes, has been reported among U.S. children and adolescents with increasing frequency. Disease researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made the prediction that one in three children born in the United States in 2000 will likely develop type 2 diabetes sometime in their lifetime unless they get more exercise and improve their diets, particularly for Latino children (CDC, 2014). Without changes in diet and exercise, their odds of developing diabetes as they grow older was about 50-50.

     Diabetes is a chronic condition in which the body produces too little insulin (Type One Diabetes) or can’t use available insulin efficiently ( Type Two Diabetes). Insulin is a hormone vital to helping the body use digested food for growth and energy.