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Diabetes Mellitus ( T1dm ) Essay

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Diabetes Mellitus, more commonly known as Diabetes, affects approximately 26 million individuals in the United States. As a whole, Diabetes Mellitus is a metabolic condition in which the body either expresses an intolerance to insulin, or it is unable to produce enough insulin to meet its needs. Diabetes Mellitus is classified into categories, with Type 1, Type 2, and gestational being the most well known. Each of these types may demonstrate many of the same signs and symptoms, however, there are differences worth taking note of in order to prevent future macrovascular and/or microvascular complications among diagnosed patients. Type 1 diabetes (T1DM) is considered an auto-immune disorder characterized by a lack of insulin production caused by the body’s own destruction of pancreatic cells. The body needs insulin to process and store glucose for energy, and a lack of production causes blood glucose levels to become elevated. Roughly 5-10% of those who are diagnosed with diabetes fall into the type 1 category with numbers expected to grow with the next 20 years (Albright, 2013, p. 91). While diagnosis can occur at any age, a significantly large part of the type 1 diabetic community is diagnosed as children and adolescents, which is why type 1 diabetes is often referred to as juvenile onset, presenting itself between the ages of 5 and 7 years. In an online journal, Atkinson, Eisenbarth, and Michels (2013) explored the prevalence of type 1 diabetes within males and females

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