Along with all the worries and complications a woman might face while pregnant, one of the more serious conditions is gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes occurs in 4% of all pregnancies (Seibel, 2009). Many women are not informed about the disease, some may not know that they need to be tested, and others may have heard about it, but want more information on what may cause it and/or how to prevent and treat it. Either way this disease needs to be taken seriously by every pregnant woman or woman planning to get pregnant to protect not only herself but the unborn child.
Gestational diabetes is a disorder characterized by impaired ability to metabolize carbohydrates, usually caused by a deficiency of insulin resistance, occurring in pregnancy (Seibel, 2009). After the baby is delivered the disorder disappears but in few cases it has returned as type 2 diabetes. There are many factors that increase the risk in women to acquire the disorder, being overweight prior to becoming pregnant, a family history of diabetes, having too much amniotic fluid, and having sugar in your urine are just some of them (Namak, 2010). During a normal pregnancy tissue resistance to insulin is present, and weight gain and presence of placental hormones can contribute to this insulin resistance ( Gutierrez, 2007). Pregnant women require two to three times more insulin than a woman who is not pregnant, and the insulin production and increased tissue resistance causes this glucose intolerance or increased blood sugar levels or gestational diabetes ( Gutierrez, 2007).
“Almost all women have some type of impaired glucose in tolerance resulting from hormonal changes they go through during pregnancy. This means that their blood sugar levels may be higher...
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...st twice the risk of developing diabetes compared to those who had breastfed (Doheny, 2010). Overall the study showed to be successful, but only for those women who breastfed all of their children for a month or longer. So with these studies it encourages women to take part in the well being of themselves and their unborn child by getting tested for gestational diabetes earlier than later.
Gestational diabetes may only be a disease that last throughout a pregnancy, but it is very harmful to not only the mother but also can be for the unborn baby. It is important that gestational diabetes is widely known and understood because the earlier in the pregnancy the patient knows the better. Gestational diabetes can be extremely harmful so it is nothing to take lightly; patients have to know that they must follow the instructions given to prevent the disease to worsen.
A 46-year-old Hispanic man presented to the clinic for a routine physical and a review of his recent laboratory studies. His medical history was significant for high cholesterol. His daily medication regimen included a multivitamin, aspirin 81 mg, and simvastatin (Zocor) 40 mg for high cholesterol. His family history was remarkable for type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia in his mother, maternal grandmother, maternal aunt, and maternal uncle. Physical examination revealed a height of 69 inches, weight of 199 pounds, body mass index (BMI) of 29.4 kg/m2, waist circumference of 36 inches and blood pressure of 125/72 mm Hg. Initial laboratory results were: total cholesterol 195 mg/dL; triglycerides 136 mg/dL; low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), 124 mg/dL; high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), 44 mg/dL; and fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 119 mg/dL. Complete blood count, renal function and liver function tests were all normal. Additional studies included an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) of 157 mg/dL and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) of 5.9%. The patient’s physical exam was unremarkable with no abnormalities noted.
4: Evers IM, De Valk HW, Visser GHA (2004) Risk of complications of pregnancy in women with Type 1 diabetes: Nationwide prospective study in the Netherlands. British Medical Journal 328, 915-917.
According WebMD 2014. Diabetes mellitus (or diabetes) is a chronic, lifelong condition that affects your body's ability to use the energy found in food. There are three major types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes mellitus, type 2 diabetes mellitus and gestational diabetes. It is a hormonal disorder of the pancreas either decrease in insulin level also known as hypoinsulinism or increase in insulin level also known as hyperinsulinism. Lowered amounts, insufficient of, or ineffective use of insulin leads to the disorder of diabetes mellitus. It is common chronic disease requiring lifelong behavioral and lifestyle changes. According to Peakman (2012). The development of type 1 diabetes mellitus is a genetic and an autoimmune process that results in destruction of the beta cells of the pancreas, leading to absolute insulin deficiency. There is usually a pre-diabetic phase where autoimmunity has already developed but with no clinically apparent insulin dependency. Insulin autoantibodies can be detected in genetically predisposed individuals as early as 6-12 months of age. In persons genetically susceptible to type 1 diabetes, a triggering event, possibly a viral infection the leads to production of autoantibodies that kill the beta cells and results in decline and a lack of insulin secretion. According to Wherrett. It is caused by impaired insulin secretion and insulin resistance and has a gradual onset. Those with type 2 diabetes may eventually need insulin treatment. Gestational diabetes mellitus is glucose intolerance during pregnancy in a woman not previously diagnosed with diabetes, this may occur if placental hormones counteract insulin, causing insulin intolerance. Complications in diabetes mellitus includes: Hypoglycemia it is ca...
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.
One of the most crucial health problems affecting the people of Kern County is diabetes. The risk factors include: being over the age of 45 years old, having high blood pressure, having pre-diabetes, coming from an ethnic minority or low income household, smoking, being overweight or obese, physical inactivity, and eating less than five fruits and vegetables a day. Diabetes is a chronic medical condition where people identify themselves with irregular quantities of blood glucose, which can be a cause from deficiencies in the making of insulin. There are two types of diabetes that people are diagnosed with. The first one is known as Type 1 diabetes, which has to do with influences in your genetics, and Type 2 diabetes, which is brought on by choices in your daily routine. Gestational diabetes occurs while you are pregnant, and if it is not monitored well pregnant women can develop Type 2 diabetes within 5-10 years (Diabetes in C...
The faulty responsiveness of body tissues to insulin normally entails the insulin receptor found in cell membranes. The other type, the gestational diabetes happens in women who have not been diagnosed with diabetes before and show elevated blood glucose amounts during pregnancy. There is no explicit reason that has been acknowledged but it is assumed that the hormones secreted dur...
While a woman is generally safe from complications from gestational diabetes, there are some very big risks to the baby. If gestational diabetes goes undiagnosed, there is a greater risk of stillbirth. Other complications can include a condition called macrosomia, where the baby is born weighing 9 ¾ pounds or more. Excessively large babies can make delivery more difficult for both mother and child and as a result, birth injuries are more common in these babies. Other problems include hypoglycemia in the baby shortly after birth. The risk of gestational diabetes is higher in women who are over 30 years old, have a family history of diabetes, are obese, and those who have previously had a macrosomic baby.
Diabetes is 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. Diabetes falls into two main categories: type 1, or juvenile diabetes, which usually occurs during childhood or adolescence, and type 2, or adult-onset diabetes, the most common form of the disease, usually occurring after age 40. Type 1 results from the body’s immune system attacking the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. The onset of juvenile diabetes is much higher in the winter than in the summer. This association has been repeatedly confirmed in diabetes research. Type 2 is characterized by “insulin resistance,” or an inability of the cells to use insulin, sometimes accompanied by a deficiency in insulin production. There is also sometimes a third type of diabetes considered. It is gestational diabetes, which occurs when the body is not able to properly use insulin during pregnancy. Type 2 diabetes encompasses nine out of 10 diabetic cases. Diabetes is the fifth-deadliest disease in the United States, and it has no cure. The total annual economic cost of diabetes in 2002 was estimated to be $132 billion, or one out of every 10 health care dollars spent in the United States. Diabetes risk factors can fall into three major categories: family history, obesity, and impaired glucose tolerance. Minority groups and elderly are at the greatest risk of developing diabetes.
First of all, diabetes also known as diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that a person gets from high blood glucose or when your bodies cells do not respond to insulin and in some cases both (Medical News Today). There are three types of diabetes type 1, type 2, and gestational. All cases of diabetes do not affect you the same and all have different syndromes that will affect your body differently. While men can get two of these cases of diabetes, women can get all three.
medications, proper prenatal care, and consulting with doctor about medications are effective precautions during pregnancy. Also, if suffering with diabetes, anemia, hypertension, seizure, or nutritional deficiencies during pregnancy, then these must be controlled. After birth, do not shake baby, which can lead to shaken baby syndrome and brain damage. Do not expose children to lead, this can also lead to brain damage, and give proper immunizations at the right time for the child (Bachrach, 2012).
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is an intolerance of glucose documented for the first time during pregnancy. It is usually a short-term type of diabetes and the most common health problem with pregnant women. GBM is caused by the way the hormones in pregnancy affect the mother. GDM accounts for 5-7% of all pregnancies (American Diabetes Association, 2010). During pregnancy the placenta develops and becomes the main bond between the mother and the baby. It is used to make sure the baby has and gets enough nutrients. The placenta makes several hormones which make it hard for insulin to control blood glucose and block the action of the mother’s insulin in her body (American Diabetes Association, 2010). Hormonal changes during the pregnancy causes the body to be less sensitive to insulin. Insulin has the job of opening up the cells so that the glucose can get inside regulating the amount of glucose in the blood while glucose is the amount of sugar in the blood stream. In pregnancy, the body needs to make three times more insulin for control of the blood sugar. GDM is usually found within the second trimester of a pregnancy and increases until the end of the pregnancy. Usually within a few hours of delivery the condition resolves itself (American Diabetes Association, 2010).
Diabetes is a metabolic disease where the body is unable to produce any- or enough- insulin which causes high glucose levels in return. There are 3 different types of diabetes that people are most familiar with. Type 1 diabetes, which is an autoimmune disease where that person would need insulin from the second they’re diagnosed. Type 2 diabetes, which may take months or even years for a person to require insulin. With type 2 diabetes, the affected person is usually older and overweight. The third type that people are most familiar with is Gestational diabetes. GD occurs during pregnancy. Around 28 weeks gestation, the pregnant woman is instructed to go for a one hour glucose test to check for diabetes. Usually after the pregnancy, the diabetes goes away- although there are some cases where it doesn’t.
As previously mentioned, type 1 diabetes people are unable to produce insulin, type 2 diabetes does not produce enough insulin, and gestational only occurs in pregnant women. Nonetheless, there is another condition classified as pre-diabetes. A person who is diagnosed as prediabetic means they are at a much higher risk of being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or stroke. People with diabetes may experience frequent urination, excessive thirst, fatigue, and sudden vision changes as symptoms. In addition, different risk factors can possibly lead people to be more at risk for the disease (CDC, 2012)....
Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy. Although it usually goes away after the baby is born, it does bring health risks for both the mother and baby. When you’re pregnant, pregnancy hormones make it harder for insulin to move glucose from your blood into the cells. If your body can’t produce enough insulin to overcome the effects of insulin resistance, you’ll develop gestational diabetes. (IHC, 2013)
A study in 2012 has proved that giving birth to a child might have a higher risk than