Informative Essay on Diabetes

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.

Diabetes, Diabetes Mellitus, is a chronic illness this means that it has no cure and the symptoms persist over a long period of time. This illness is a result of an imbalance of hormones, insulin, produced in the pancreas. Insulin plays an important role in how the body uses food. Insulin enables the cells in the bloodstream to absorb and use glucose for fuel. If the pancreas produces too little or no insulin or if the insulin doesn’t work properly the person may become diabetic. Therefore, diabetics are not able to properly convert food into fuels needed by the body to function, which can seriously lead to physical consequences.

They include: heart and blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, nerves, gums and teeth. In regards to the heart and blood vessels, there are approximately 65% of death that is caused by diabetes due to major complication of heart disease and stroke. In the peripheral artery diseases diabetes also plays a major role in the cause of poor blood flow in the legs and feet. Many studies show that controlling diabetes can prevent or stop the progression of heart and blood vessel disease. Blood vessel damage or nerve damage may also lead to foot problems that can lead to amputations. More than 60% of leg and foot amputations not related to an injury are due to diabetes. Another complication of diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in the U.S. There has been a number of eye problems that if not addressed can lead to eye blindness which include: glaucoma,cataracts and diabetic retinopathy. Ninety percent of diabetic-related blindness as study shown could be prevented if there would be regular eye exams and timely treatment of diabetes-related eye problems. Furthermore, kidney failure is also one leading cause of further complication that resulted from uncontrolled diabetes in the U.S. It is said that drugs that help lower blood pressure can help the chance to developing kidney failure by 33%. Also diabetes on nerves can lead to loss of sensation or pain and burning of the feet because nerves are harmed due to over time high blood sugar levels. It can also

Those who are diabetic may also be in risk of blindness (diabetic retinopathy) and nerve damage (diabetic neuropathy). Diabetic neuropathy can lead to numbness in hands and feet, foot ulcers, and eventual limb amputation (World Health Organization). Taking preventive steps can help to avoid many of the complications of diabetes.

Most patients who have diabetes for an extended amount of time may end up with diabetic neuropathy, which is damage caused to the nerves; it affects the peripheral nerves, autonomic nerves, and focal nerves. From the high blood sugar, it can destroy parts of the patient’s blood vessels, heart, and kidneys. If diabetes is not treated, it will almost always cause heart disease or kidney disease.

Why are nerves often damaged in patients with diabetes mellitus, and what are some of the

7. Examine your feet. Diabetes-related nerve damage can mean that you might have minor injuries to your feet that you can’t feel. This can lead to infections and other complications. Check the soles of your feet daily. Put lotion on them at night to keep the skin in good condition. Wear comfortable shoes that fit correctly. Ask your doctor to examine your feet whenever you have an office visit.

But if it’s not taken care of, uncontrolled diabetes can damage a persons’ vision, cause nerve damage and infections to the feet. Also, it can cause poor blood circulation and kidney disease. Many of these problems can be prevented by having a low fat, low alcohol diet, maintaining a reasonable body mass, and working out thirty minutes five days a week. Performing these activities can also help reduce the risk of getting diabetes.

Neuropathy (nerve damage) - Extra sugar builds up in the tiny vessels that provide circulation to your nerves. When sugar builds up, the diabetic begins to lose feeling in extremities, usually lower limbs, starting with tingling and leading to complete nerve damage. Nerve damage to the stomach can cause constipation or diarrhea as well as erectile dysfunction in men.

Diabetes should be studied due to the increased trend affecting larger numbers of people. According to the American Diabetes Association, the annual incidence of diabetes was estimated at 18,436 with type 1 diabetes, 5,089 with type 2 diabetes. The severity of this condition can be life- threatening. If not taken care of, diabetes will end in extreme illnesses, and potentially death. It is important to take care of your body and make sure you are getting the proper nutrition needed. As stated by the American Diabetes Association, long-term complications of diabetes include potential loss of vision, renal failure, foot ulcers, amputations, and Charcot joints; and autonomic neuropathy causing gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and cardiovascular symptoms and sexual dysfunction. Patients with diabetes have an increased incidence

Neuropathy – this Nerve Damage is caused by Sugar present in high levels which is capable of injuring the walls of the tiny capillaries within the blood vessels that nourish your nerves specifically in your legs. Resulting in feeling such as numbness, burning, tingling staring at the tips of the toes or fingers is usually felt as pain and gradually spreads upward. When this is left untreated

Diabetic neuropathy is a nerve disorders caused by diabetes. Symptoms include pain, tingling, or numbness, loss of feeling in hands, arms, feet, and legs. Nerve problems can occur in every organ system. Diabetic neuropathies appears more common in people who have problems controlling their blood glucose, those with high levels of blood fat, high blood pressure and obese (Porth, 2015). Metabolic factors include high blood glucose, abnormal blood fat levels, and low insulin levels. Neurovascular factors are associated to damage to the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients to nerves (Porth, 2015). Autoimmune factors that cause inflammation in nerves. Mechanical injury to nerves, for example, carpal tunnel syndrome (Porth, 2015). Inherited

Long-term effects of diabetes can cause many serious complications: heart disease, stroke, blindness, amputations, and kidney disease and nerve damage. These complications are usually progressive and develop over time due to poor control of blood glucose levels. High blood glucose levels cause a narrowing of all the vessels, blockage, and high blood pressure.

Diabetes affects how your body handles the sugar glucose that’s in your blood. Insulin is a hormone that your pancreas creates that lets your cells turn glucose from the food you eat into energy.

Peripheral neuropathy is obviously one of the major complications of chronic diabetes, which affects the nerves and leads to loss of sensation, numbness, and pain in the legs, feet, or even hands. Sadly, peripheral neuropathy is likely to affect approximately 70% of people with diabetes. However, not all people who develop this type of complication experience serious pain.