Diabetes Mellitus
Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death listed in the United States. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness. “In 1996 diabetes contributed to more than 162,000 deaths”(Lewis 1367).
“Diabetes mellitus is not a single disease but a group of disorders with glucose intolerance in common” (McCance 674). Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia (increased blood sugar) and results from defective insulin production, secretion, and utilization. There are many forms of diabetes. “Diabetes increases the risk of heart and blood vessel disease, amputation, infections, kidney damage, eye problems (including blindness), and nerve malfunction” (Husain). I will briefly define the different forms of diabetes and then I will discuss diabetes mellitus in general.
1. Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or type 1 is when the pancreas will produce little or no insulin, therefore requiring injections of insulin to control diabetes and prevent ketoacidosis. All patients with this type of diabetes need insulin to survive (Deakins 34). Five to ten percent of all diabetic patients have IDDM. Usual presentation is rapid with classical symptoms of polydipsia (increased thirst), polyphagia (increased hunger), polyuria (increased urination), and weight loss. IDDM is
most commonly seen in patients under thirty, but can be seen in older adults.
2. Non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or type 2 is caused by a defect in insulin manufacture and release from the beta cell or insulin resistance in the peripheral tissues. Approximately ninety percent of diabetic patients have NIDDM. Genetics play a big role in the etiology of NIDDM and is often associated with obesity. Usually presentation is slow and often insidious with symptoms of fatigue, weight gain, poor wound healing, and recurrent infection. Primarily occurs in adults over thirty.
3. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is defined as carbohydrate intolerance, which occurs during pregnancy. Occurs in approximately three percent of pregnancies, and usually disappears after pregnancy. Women with GDM are at higher risk for having diabetes in the future. GDM is associated with increased risk of morbidity. Women should be screened for GDM between the 24th and the 28th weeks of gestation.
4. Diabetic ketoacidosis is a serious...
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...ur to six hours to reach the bloodstream, but stays in the bloodstream for about thirty-six hours. It peaks about fourteen to twenty-four hours after injection.
Diabetes affects the entire body. It slowly deteriorates every one of the body’s organs. You can live a long and prosperous life as a well-controlled diabetic, but a short and miserable life if noncompliant.
Works Cited
Deakins, Dee A. Oral Hypoglycemics. Nursing 92; The World’s Largest Nursing Journal Nov. 1992: 34-39.
Doenges, Marilynn E. Nursing Care Plans; Guidelines for Planning Patient Care. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Company, 1989.
Drass, Janice. Insulin Injections. Nursing 92; The World’s Largest Nursing Journal Nov. 1992:40-43.
Harkreader, Helen. Fundamentals of Nursing; Caring and Clinical Judgment. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company, 2000.
Husain, Rahat. The Diabetes Information Page. Undated.
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/5769/diabete.html.
Lewis, Sharon Mantik. Medical Surgical Nursing: Assessment and Management of Clinical Problems. St. Louis: Mosby, 2000.
McCance, Kathryn L. Pathophysiology; The Biologic Basis for Disease in Adults and Children. St. Louis: Mosby, 1994.
Diabetes mellitus also known simply as diabetes refers to a group of metabolic diseases which affect the body’s homeostatic mechanism used for maintaining and regulating the body’s blood sugar levels. Diabetes is a chronic condition which, in 2013 was estimated to be affecting 382 million people worldwide.[1] People suffering from diabetes are required to constantly be vigilant of their blood sugar levels to ensure it does not go below or above optimum levels. Depending on the type of diabetes and glucose level range, they may need to inject themselves with insulin or eat high sugar foods to restabilise their body. Failure to do so can lead to other long term health effects.[2]
Diabetes mellitus is a disorder characterized by abnormalities in carbohydrate, protein, and fat metabolism. The most common feature seen in diabetes is increased blood glucose levels. The main reason for this is either a decreased/ absent insulin production or resistance of the body to the action of insulin or both.
Roughly 25 million Americans have diabetes; it is called the “Silent Killer” because almost half of those 25 million have no idea that they even have the disease; it can strike and kill without warning. I am interested in the disease because both my grandfather and my maternal great grandmother had diabetes. However, both of them had late onset diabetes, or Type II. Diabetes Mellitus is the cause of many serious health complications such as stroke, heart disease, renal failure, and blindness, among others. It can destroy the major organs in your body; untreated it can take your life.
Current theories link the cause of diabetes, singly or in combination, to genetic, autoimmune, viral, and environmental factors (obesity, stress). Regardless of its cause, diabetes is primarily a disorder of glucose metabolism related to absent or insufficient insulin supplies and/or poor utilization of the insulin that is available. The two most common types of diabetes are classified as type I or type II diabetes mellitus. Gestational diabetes and secondary diabetes are other classifications of diabetes commonly seen in clinical practice
Diabetes mellitus type 2 is an endocrine disorder that causes impaired use of carbohydrates while enhancing the use of proteins and lipids. This is called insulin resistance, in which the pancreas cannot make enough insulin to keep blood glucose levels normal, or the body is unable to use what is produced. The impairment causes blood glucose level to rise higher than normal. There is no cure for type 2 diabetes mellitus and it is life threatening when left untreated. Signs and symptoms of this disorder include vision changes, increased thirst, increased hunger, increased frequency of urination, stomach pain, nausea and vomiting, erectile dysfunction, and absences of mentruation. These can occur abruptly, or over a long period of time. Long-term complications from diabetes include kidney damage, eye damage, and blindness. The risk factors for developing diabetes mellitus include genetics, sedentary lifestyle, high blood pressure, history of diabetes during pregnancy, poor diet, obesity, high cholesterol, and abdominal obesity. Diabetes mellitus can be managed through the use of medication, or by reducing risk factors, such as avoiding obesity, inactivity, and poor nutrition.
Diabetes is one of the most common diseases that almost every family is suffering these days with one or more family members globally. But most people are still unaware the causes, symptoms and treatment of diabetes. Diabetes, in a simple language, is directly related to our digestion system. Whatever we eat, we need to digest and for digestion our food breaks into small pieces of glucose or sugar. This sugar then goes to our blood cells and gives us energy to work for the day. Now to transfer glucose to our blood cells, we need insulin that is made by pancreas. If due to some reasons, our pancreas is not able to produce enough amount of insulin to transfer glucose into the blood cells, the condition is known as diabetes, and the person suffering from this disease is called as a diabetic.
Emily Dickinson wrote hundreds of short poems in her lifetime. Having read only a very small percentage of her work, it’s clear to me the recognized genius of this woman is well deserved, and that I have more to learn from her. Dickinson’s poetry touches of life, death, nature, religion, sexuality, identity, gender roles, and that’s just the surface.
8. The Expert Committee on the Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes Mellitus. 1997. Diabetes Care, Volume 20. No. 7: p.1183-1197.
Emily Dickinson, the self-secluded poet from Amherst, is now considered one of the greatest American Poets. She, in breaking conventional grammar rules, created a new form of poetry, her own, to attain this title. Through the use of unconventional grammar styles Dickinson was able to create a poem, when read in the mind appears to be incomprehensible, but when read aloud is made clear to the reader. Dickinson also made use of common objects and emotions in her poems, which captivated the reader and allowed the reader to escape into a world created by her. Dickinson's use of common objects and emotions was due to her un-social and hostile background, which created a twisted soul inside of Dickinson that was represented in much of her poetry. The methods of Dickinson created a new form of poetry, raw and undiscovered, which made her poetry more significant and realistic than an average poem.
Emily Dickinson was one of America’s great poets. Emily Dickinson wrote almost 1,800 poems and many letters. Most of her poetry was not published until after she died. Only about 10 out of thousands of poems were published. In 1865, Dickinson isolated herself from the outside world. Only her family and friends knew about her writing. She was very shy. Dickinson got to write because their maid Maggie Maher did extra work around the house that Dickinson should have been doing (Borus, 14-23). She is known for her famous epoms “Because I Could Not Stop for Death”, “Much Madness”, “If I can stop” and, “I Heard A Fly Buzz” and many others famous poems”. Emily Dickinson wrote about death, nature, pain, truth, religion, and love using unique styles to convey her themes.
Diabetes is a very serious disease that takes many lives each year. It is a lifelong disease that can be fatal to both adults and children if it is uncontrolled. Diabetes does not have to be fatal if certain precautions are taken. If diabetics maintain a healthy diet and watch their carbohydrate intake they can keep their diabetes under control. Monitoring blood sugar is also necessary to live a healthy life. If diabetics know the right way of maintaining their diabetes, they can live a very normal and active life.
Diabetes affects 18.2 million people in the United States. It is often referred to by doctors as diabetes mellitus and described as, “… a metabolic disease in which the person has high blood sugar …” (Collazo- Clavell et all. 2009), either because the insulin is inadequate or the body’s cells don’t respond well to the insulin. The health and economic consequences of diabetes are considerable. The majority of people that have diabetes live in low and middle income countries, where the prevalence of the disease is high. There are three types of diabetes that are called type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. Although diabetes is a disorder, it can lead to other diseases such as heart attack, kidney failure or death. A person that has diabetes has to maintain a healthy lifestyle, by eating the right diet, controlling their blood sugar level, and be optimistic.
Emily Dickinson was an unrecognized poet her whole life. Her close family members recognized her talent, and her needs to write poetry, but the literary establishment of her time would not recognize her skill. Even though she was unrecognized, she was still quietly battling the established views through her poetry. Her literary struggle was exposed after her death since, while living, only five of her poems were published.
My favorite theory of personality is Carl Rogers’ person-centered theory. “Rogers believed that within each of us is an active, controlling drive toward fulfillment of our potentials that enables us to maintain and enhance ourselves.” I feel this relates to my Christian faith because I am constantly “maintaining and enhancing toward fulfillment.” I strive daily to be a good Christian and a good student. I have mentioned in other assignments that I am a work in progress and I believe we all are. The priest at my hometown church, Fr. Renato Cruz, always adds after he gives us a goal to accomplish that “the rewards are out of this world.”