Intro to Diabetic Emergencies
Diabetes is a significant and fast growing health concern in the United States. About 16 million Americans have diabetes – and that number increases every day. Every day there is someone who suffers from a diabetic emergency. What is a diabetic emergency? Well, first we must understand what diabetes is. Diabetes is a disease that affects how your body uses blood glucose (or commonly known as blood sugar) your body isn’t able to take the sugar from your bloodstream and carry it to your body cells where it can be used for energy. There are two types of diabetes; Type I (insulin dependent) and Type II (non-insulin dependent). Both types can cause a diabetic emergency. Both types require medical intervention/treatment.
So what is a diabetic emergency? A diabetic emergency occurs when there is a severe imbalance between the amount of insulin and sugar in the body. There are two conditions that may result in a diabetic emergency. 1. Not enough insulin. This causes a high level of sugar or hyperglycemia. This can lead to a diabetic coma. 2. Too much insulin. This causes a low level of sugar or hypoglycemia. This may lead to insulin shock. Regardless, both conditions require the person to seek medical attention.
One of the best things that a person with diabetes can do for themselves is to learn how to manage their diabetes and know when they are in trouble. It is up to those that are health care professionals to know what to look for and how to treat a diabetic emergency. As with any other emergency, a diabetic emergency is an authentic emergency and time is very valuable.
Cause/ Effect
Blood glucose (sugar) levels go up and down throughout the day depending on a numbe...
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...at is required, give him/her something to eat or drink and get medical help. Always remain calm, help the person to remain calm (as much as possible), and stay with the person until medical help arrives.
Diabetic emergencies require attention. That attention starts with first aid. It is always important to be ready, willing, and able when the need arrives. You never know when or where you may be when someone might need your help.
Works Cited
1. American Diabetes Association http://www.diabetes.org/ Copyrighted: 1995-2014 visited on 03/24/2014
2. Artex Medical, Inc. America’s Choice for Diabetic Needs Published by the National Diabetes Education Program in 2013 Read on 03/24/2014 (pamphlet)
3. Liberty Diabetic Teaching Guides Published by Liberty Medical Supply, Inc. in 2013 Copyright 2014 Read on 03/21/2014 (pamphlet)
Diabetes education is a structured education and self-management (at diagnosis and regularly reviewed and reinforced) to promote awareness. Diet and lifestyle, healthy diet, weight loss if the person is overweight, smoking cessation, regular physical exercise. Maximizing glucose control while minimizing adverse effects of treatment such as hypoglycemia. Reduction of other risk factors for complications of diabetes, including the early detection and management of hypertension, drug treatment to modify lipid levels and consideration of antiplatelet therapy with aspirin. Early intervention for complications of diabetes,, including cardiovascular disease, feet problems, eye problems, kidney problems and neuropathy.
An estimate of 171 million people have diabetes and that number is expected to double by 2030. Diabetes affects how your body uses glucose. Unmanaged, this can lead to rapid dehydration, coma, and death. However today one can manage diabetes by controlling one’s diet and if necessary taking injections of insulin.
Diabetes Programs: The Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute Experience. Curr Diab Rep Current Diabetes Reports, 14(2). Doi:10.1007/s11892-013-0462-0
Diabetes is a disease in which a person’s body in unable to make or utilize insulin properly which affects blood sugar levels. Insulin is a hormone that is produced in the pancreas, which helps to regulate glucose (sugar) levels, break down carbohydrates and fats, and is essential to produce the body’s energy. The CDC (2013) offers reliable insight, summarized here, into the different types of diabetes, some causes, and health complications that may arise from the disease.
Jost, Kenneth. “Diabetes Epidemic: why is this serious disease on the increase?” The CQ Researcher (March 9, 2001): 185-200
Diabetes also known as high blood sugar levels, develops when your body either cannot make enough insulin or can't properly use the insulin that it makes. Diabetes has been around since the 1500's. The ancient Chinese described the signs of diabetes as described as "large amounts of urine." (Beaser 2). It wasn't until the ancient Greeks who actually gave the name of diabetes, which meant "to flow through." (Beaser 2) Later the Latin's added the word mellitus, which means sweet urine. The medical term is now diabetes mellitus. To understand the multiple ways to treat diabetes, you first need to understand what diabetes is and how your body reacts to it. Everyone needs food to survive, without food you will starve to death. Once we put food into our mouth, our body breaks it down to be used for fuel by the cells within our body. This process is called metabolism. Food is f...
Diabetes is a disease associated with the inability to store and metabolise glucose effectively. In the UK alone there are just under 3 million people diagnosed with diabetes and approximately 850,000 who are not aware that they have it. (Nhs.uk, 2014)
Diabetes is a metabolic disease defined by high blood glucose concentration, also known as hyperglycemia (Mertig, 2012). Hyperglycemia is the result of having a problem with insulin release and/or a problem with insulin action. In other words, a person living with diabetes produces little to no insulin (type 1 diabetes) or does not have the ability to utilize efficiently the insulin produced (type 2 diabetes) (Mertig, 2012). Diabetes is a growing epidemic in the United States. In an effort to better manage and reduce the incidence of diabetes, researchers dedicate an enormous amount of time each year trying to gain a stronger understanding of the disease (Philis-Tsimikas and Decker, 2011). After all, the long term complications of uncontrolled diabetes (i.e. blindness, renal failure, heart disease, amputations, etc) can be devastating and needs to be prevented and/or controlled (Mertig, 2012). Individuals living with diabetes need to incorporate nutritional management, physical activity, compliance with medications, proper monitoring of blood sugars, self education and most importantly actively participate in their own diabetes care. According to Inzucchi et al, a patient centered approach is best and means, “Providing care that is respectful of and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs, and values and ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions.” An approach proven to be effective in managing diabetes is the diabetes self-management education (DSME) approach. DSME is a “patient centered” approach that actively involves the client in all aspects of their diabetes care and provides the necessary tools to encourage self-directed growth. A huge part of the DSME approach is the client’s diet,...
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 cells in the body. In people without diabetes, the pancreas makes a chemical called insulin which is released into the blood stream. Insulin helps the glucose from the food get into cells. When the pancreas doesn’t make insulin, it can’t get into the cells and the insulin stays in the blood stream. The blood glucose level gets very high, causing the person to have type one diabetes.
The pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus in is related to the insulin hormone. Insulin is secreted by cells in the pancreas and is responsible for regulating the level of glucose in the bloodstream. It also aids the body in breaking down the glucose to be used as energy. When someone suffers from diabetes, however, the body does not break down the glucose in the blood as a result of abnormal insulin metabolism. When there are elevated levels of glucose in the blood, it is known as hyperglycemia. If the levels continue to remain high over an extended period of time, damage can be done to the kidneys, cardiovascular systems; you can get eye disorders, or even cause nerve damage. When the glucose levels are low in one’s body, it is called hypoglycemia. A person begins to feel very jittery, and possibly dizzy. If that occurs over a period of time, the person can possibly faint. Diabetes mellitus occurs in three different forms - type 1, type 2, and gestational.
Diabetes Diabetes is a killer; in fact, it is among the top ten killers of adults in the United States. "It can lead to, or contribute to, a number of other serious diseases" (Sizer and Whitney 112). Diabetes means "syphon" or "to run through" (Sizer and Whitney 112), therefore denoting the increase in urinary volume excreted by people suffering from this disease. Mellitus means "sweet".
Millions of people throughout the United States are affected by diabetes. It is considered to be one of the leading causes of death. But what exactly is it? What are the symptoms and how do we prevent it? The goal of this essay is for you to understand the answers to these questions, and be able to apply your newly gained knowledge to your own life, hopefully decreasing your risk of developing diabetes.
Kirk, Julienne., Stegner, Jane., 2010. Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology: Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose: Practical Aspects. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2864180/
"Symptoms - The American Diabetes Association." American Diabetes Association, 2014. Web. 3 Mar 2014. .
Diabetes mellitus refers to a group of diseases that affect how your body uses blood glucose, commonly called blood sugar. Glucose is vital to your health because it's an important source of energy for the cells that make up your muscles and tissues. Glucose comes from two different sources, your liver and food. It's also your brain's main source of fuel. Glucose is made and stored in the liver. When your blood sugar gets low then your liver will use the stored glucose to keep your blood sugar level normal. If you have diabetes it means you have too much glucose in your blood. This is where insulin comes in. Diabetes is a growing epidemic in America's many nutritional diseases. There are a few factors that can cause or increase a person's chance of getting diabetes. Poor nutritional choices are a big factor in the cause of diabetes. The sad part is the increase is happening to the young children and teenagers in America. I will talk about what diabetes is, the increase in diabetes and why it’s so high, the complications that follow the diagnosis, and how it can be treated or reduced with diet and exercise.