Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as Diabetes, is a compilation of complex diseases concerning the way the human body handles glucose. Typically, the individuals that suffer from hyperglycemia, elevated blood sugar, either suffer from it due to a heightened production of insulin or a severe drop in the production of insulin, therefore paving the way to prediabetes and in some cases progressing further to Type I or Type II Diabetes. The first reported observation of diabetes symptoms was in 1552 B.C., when an Egyptian physician known as Hesy-Ra, reported the “frequent urination symptom of a mysterious disease that also caused emaciation” (McCoy 2009), and the ancient healers of the time noted that ants were also attracted to the urine of those …show more content…
These were individuals that were responsible for handling the diagnosis of this disease and did so through tasting the urine of those displaying symptoms and discerning whether it was sweet. This was the primary indicator that led to them to understand the influence of glucose in this disease. Beyond the detectible “sweetness” found in urine, symptoms that typically develop into Type I and Type II diabetes include increased thirst, frequent urination, hunger, fatigue, slow-healing cuts/sores, yeast infections, and high and low blood sugar. The symptoms of diabetes can develop in any ethnicity, in any culture, however there are demographics more prone to this disease than others. According to the latest Diabetes report from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, “Compared with non-Hispanic whites, members of racial and ethnic minority groups are more likely to have diagnosed diabetes” …show more content…
Those affected by Type I diabetes have a complete lack of insulin due to the lack of functioning beta cells. And thus, daily injections of insulin are needed. Type II Diabetes occurs when insulin is still being produced and pancreatic beta cells still present, however, it is the tissues responsible for the absorption of insulin that fail to respond efficiently or effectively to normal insulin levels. An occurrence commonly known as insulin resistance. Also common in Type I Diabetes, is the fact it presents itself as the individual matures into adulthood, leading to the pancreatic decrease in the levels of insulin being secreted. Type II diabetes is becoming more common due to increasing obesity and failure to exercise, both of which contribute to insulin
Type 1 diabetes develops when the beta-cells are killed off by the immune system. This is because an inflammation is caused which the immune system fights off, ultimately destroying all/majority of beta cells. The role of the beta cells is to produce insulin within the pancreas. The beta cells are signalled when to release insulin’s to certain parts of the body. A person with type 1 diabetes is likely to have lost 70-80%1 of their beta-cells mass which is why they must manually inject insulin into themselves to maintain a healthy blood glucose level. When the blood glucose level falls (hypoglycaemia) you begin to lose energy.
During the year 1889, two researchers, Joseph Von Mering and Oskar Minkowski, discovered the disease that is known today as diabetes. Diabetes is a disease in which the insulin levels (a hormone produced in unique cells called the islets of Langerhans found in the pancreas) in the bloodstream are irregular and therefore affect the way the body uses sugars, as well as other nutrients. Up until the 1920’s, it was known that being diagnosed with diabetes was a death sentence which usually affected “children and adults under 30.” Those who were diagnosed were usually very hungry and thirsty, which are two of the symptoms associated with diabetes. However, no matter how much they ate, their bodies wouldn’t be able to use the nutrients due to the lack of insulin.
Diabetes Mellitus (Type 2 diabetes/adult onset diabetes) is an epidemic in American Indian and Alaska Natives communities.7 AI/AN have the highest morbidity and mortality rates in the United States.7 American Indian/Alaska Native adults are 2.3 more times likely to be diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus than non-Hispanic Whites.7 More importantly, AI/AN adolescent ages 10-14 are 9 times likely to be diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus than non-Hispanic Whites.7 Type 2 diabetes is high blood glucose levels due to lack of insulin and/or inability to use it efficiently.8 Type 2 diabetes usually affects older adults; 8 however, the incident rate is rising quicker amongst AI/AN youth than non-Hispanic Whites.7 This is foreshadowing of earlier serious complications that will be effecting the AI/AN communitie...
The first evidence of diabetes was found on an early Egyptian manuscript from 1500 BCE, however; it is only in the last 200 years that we understand what is happening at the cellular level in a diabetic individual (Polansky, 2012). We now know that diabetes is a complex disorder of genetic, chemical, and lifestyle factors that contribute to the body’s inability to utilize glucose for energy and cellular functions (ADA, 2013).
American Diabetes Association, “Native Americans and Diabetes”; available from http://www.diabetes.org/communityprograms-and-localevents/nativeamericans.jsp; Internet; accessed 11 November 2004.
"The facts are clear: The diabetes epidemic sweeping the U.S. is hitting the African American community particularly hard, according to doctors." (2) Diabetes is defined as, "A disease that affects the body's ability to produce or respond to insulin, a hormone that allows blood glucose (blood sugar) to enter the cells of the body and be used for energy." (1) There are two types of diabetes: type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes, which usually begins during childhood or adolescence, "Is a condition characterized by high blood glucose levels caused by total lack of insulin. This occurs when the body's immune system attacks the insulin producing beta cells in the pancreas and destroys them.." (2) Type 2 Diabetes, most common form of the disease, "Usually occurring in middle age adults after the age of forty-five, is a condition characterized by high blood glucose levels caused by either lack of insulin or the body's inability to use insulin efficiently." (2) National health surveys over the past 35 years show that the number of African American's that have been diagnosed with diabetes is drastically increasing. In fact, it has been reported, "Out of 16 million Americans with diabetes, twenty-three million are African Americans." (3) There are clearly many implications on why diabetes is so rampant in the African American community, those of which will be discussed in this report. In this report, I will exam aspects of the "African American Culture," in order to determine whether those aspects have anything to do with the reasons why diabetes is higher in the African American community, more so than others.
The purpose of this study is to research the disease Type 2 Diabetes and to discover whether it is being effectively treated and prevented in Merced County, California. According to the National Institutes of Health, Diabetes Mellitus is “a lifelong (chronic) disease in which there are high levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood. It is also the most common form of Diabetes”.1 Furthermore, there are many risk and lifestyle factors associated with this disease, but the most prevalent are; obesity (#1 risk factor), sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy eating habits, family history and genetics, increased age, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and a history of gestational diabetes.2 The long term complications of having type 2 diabetes can include but are not limited to; eye problems (cataracts and glaucoma), foot problems (neuropathy/ nerve damage), skin problems (infections), high blood pressure (which raises your risk for heart attack, stroke, eye problems and kidney disease), hearing loss, oral health, mental health and early death.3
Most common people will see that they are suffering from type 2 diabetes. Unlike type 1 diabetes, type 2 is not because your immune system is attacking the insulin but is because your body simply does not produce the required insulin. 90% of people who have diabetes are diagnosed with type 2 (Medical News...
Although there are many symptoms for Diabetes, many people fail to see the signs or they choose to ignore them. One sign is frequent urine output, this is caused by high amounts of glucose in the urine. Too much urine output can then lead to dehydration, leading to increased thirst. A human with early signs of diabetes may also experience an increase in appetite and fatigue. The Fluctuations in glucose level can even lead to blurred vision. Some of these signs may not seem too serious at first but when left untreated it can lead to even bigger symptoms such as infections in the gums, skin, bladder or even vaginal areas. It also effects the healing process of the body, sores that normally wouldn’t take long to heal can take more than twice the time normally needed. In more serious cases ...
Diabetes is a problem with your body that causes blood glucose (sugar) levels to rise higher than normal. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. People whose body does not use insulin properly have what’s known as type 2 diabetes or often called insulin resistance. At first, your pancreas makes extra insulin to make up for the lack of blood glucose. But, over time it isn't able to keep up and can't make enough insulin to keep your blood glucose at normal levels. “According to national examination surveys, Mexican Americans are almost twice as likely as non-Hispanic whites to be diagnosed with diabetes by a physician. They have higher rates of end-stage renal disease, caused by diabetes, and they are 50% more likely to di...
Diabetes mellitus is defined as "a group of diseases characterized by high levels of blood glucose, which result from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action or both" (2). There are two types of diabetes, one that "occurs when the body produces little or no insulin, and that typically affects children and young adults," and the other, which "typically develops in adults, and occurs when the body does not use insulin effectively", types II diabetes being the most common (3). According to the CDC and the National Center for Health Statistics, "the number of Americans with diabetes in the year 2000 was 17 million or 6.2 percent of the population, as compared to 15.7 million (5.9 percent) in 1998" (4). However, and on average, Hispanic Americans and African Americans are almost twice as likely to have diabetes in comparison to white Americans. In addition, African Americans and Hispanic Americans show a higher incidence of suffering from diabetes related complications including but not limited to eye and kidney disease, amputations, heart disease, heart stroke etc (5).
Diabetes is a disorder when the body does not produce enough insulin, and when insulin is not released into the body it does not allow glucose to enter the blood stream. There are three different type of diabetes but the one that affects African Americans is type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes normally occurs in adults and it happens when their body can make its own insulin but will not be able to use it. Some symptoms for diabetes ca...
Diabetes Mellitus is a disease in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps the body’s tissues absorb glucose which is sugar, so it can be used as a source of energy. Glucose levels build up in the blood and urine which causes excessive urination, thirst, hunger, and problems with fat and protein metabolism in a diabetic person. Diabetes is very common in the United States; it is the seventh leading cause of all deaths. Women have been diagnosed with diabetes more than men. There are two forms of diabetes, Type one and Type two diabetes. Type one diabetes is when the body does not produce insulin or produces it in very small quantities. This usually occurs in younger people under twenty years of age, mostly around puberty. Type two diabetes is when the body’s balance between insulin production and the ability of cells to use insulin doesn’t work properly. This is more common than type one; about 90-95% people in the United States have it. There are no cures for diabetes now but there are many researchers investigating factors through new technologies to cure them. Meanwhile, technological advancements are being made to keep glucose at a good level for diabetes.
According to Krisha McCoy on her article: The history of Diabetes; “In 150 AD, the Greek physician Arateus described what we now call diabetes as "the melting down of flesh and limbs into urine." From then on, physicians began to gain a better understanding about diabetes. Centuries later, people known as "water tasters" diagnosed diabetes by tasting the urine of people suspected to have it. If urine tasted sweet, diabetes was diagnosed. To acknowledge this feature, in 1675 the word "mellitus," meaning honey, was added to the name "diabetes," meaning siphon. It wasn't until the 1800s that scientists developed chemical tests to detect the presence of sugar in the urine”.
According to Ahmed AM, a member of faculty in the Medicine department at University of Bahr Elghazal, “Clinical features similar to diabetes mellitus were described 3000 years ago by the ancient Egyptians. The term "diabetes" was first coined by Araetus of Cappodocia (81-133AD). Later, the word mellitus (honey sweet) was added by Thomas Willis (Britain) in 1675 after rediscovering the sweetness of urine and blood of patients (first noticed by the ancient Indians). It was only in 1776 that Dobson (Britain) firstly confirmed the presence of excess sugar in urine and blood as a cause of their sweetness.” Scholars have even found an acient papyrus that mentions “a rare disease that causes the patient to lose weight rapidly and urinate