Diabetes and Glucose Monitoring
Chapter 3
Description
Diabetes mellitus, otherwise known as simply diabetes, is a disorder of the metabolism where the body cannot produce or use the hormone “insulin.” The most common symptoms for having this disorder are extreme thirst and the production of excessive amounts of urine. However, the symptom that doctors use as a definite is glucose concentration. A diabetic person's glucose concentration is usually usually higher than normal. To monitor the blood glucose concentration, these people use glucose meters.
Glucose meters are portable devices that measure glucose concentration. They have a strip of paper on them that contain chemicals that readily react with glucose (Brown 90). The person pricks their finger and puts the blood onto the paper, allowing the blood to react with the chemicals and measure the glucose concentration. They must do this every day on timely, individualized plans in order to effectively monitor their glucose. If something is different about it, they must adjust something in their lifestyle––usually their diet––to lower their glucose levels. This home-testing method is referred to as self-monitoring of blood glucose, or SMBG (Whitmore 583).
There are two types of diabetes referred to as Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 diabetes is insulin-dependent while Type 2 diabetes is non-insulin dependent (Ben-Jacob). Type 1 is also sometimes caused by viruses but the exact cause is unknown to scientists. Type 1 is more dependent on a person's diet, inactivity of the physical body, and family heritage. According to Gwen Hall in her journal article, An Introduction to Diabetes, Type 1 diabetes has a rapid onset and is introduced at an age under 30 years old. The...
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...elves to obtaining that disease.
Drawbacks
The drawbacks towards diabetes are commonly decrease in health and life quality, as well as amputation of a limb from diabetic nerve damage. The drawbacks of glucose meters, however, are less common. A test strip may not be completely inserted into the meter, which would cause false tests. The batteries on the meter could run out, leaving the person needing to test themselves to rush in order to reveal their condition. If a patient is dehydrated, there could be false test results. There is also the chance of there not being enough blood on the strip to determine the glucose so the patient would need to prick their finger again on a different strip (FDA). This could get very tiresome for a diabetic person and could result in them getting so fed up with it that they give up on treating their condition properly.
The purpose of a homeostatic system is to maintain steady/stable internal environment at a set point. Glucose is used as a major energy source by most cells in the human body. Cells break down glucose in order to produce ATP (energy), to carry out their cellular processes. Blood glucose concentration is maintained between 3.9-5.6 mmol/L-1. The reason behind this range is due to the fact that people of different ages and genders require different amounts of glucose in their blood to carry out different metabolic processes. For example, a growing teenage boy would require a higher blood glucose concentration in comparison to a middle aged women. Blood glucose concentration must be maintained between this set point range because anything above or below this can cause severe problems. If blood glucose concentration becomes too low the tissues in the body that solely rely on glucose as an energy source are greatly affected, as they need a constant supply of glucose in order to function adequately. These
Diabetes Mellitus can be diagnosed through blood work. Blood is drawn from the patient and tested.
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.
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a condition in the body that is related to a faulty metabolism. It means that the body’s metabolism is not functioning properly, which leads to adverse effects in the health. The food we ingest, gets broken down into blood sugar (glucose), which is what fuels our body in the form of energy. This converted glucose needs to enter our cells so that it can be used for energy and growth. And in order for the glucose to enter our cells, there needs to be insulin present, which the beta cells of the pancreas is responsible for producing. This hormone is responsible for maintaining glucose level in the blood. It allows the body cells to use glucose as a main energy source.
After the release of the GlucoGauge Monitors, the company began receiving troubling reports. Customers have been using social media to complain or address their issue and this, has affected the company in a negative way. Thereafter, we also have been receiving complaints from Doctors and patients about high inaccuracy rates on the GlucoGauge blood monitors. Physicians indicated that the inaccuracy readings were as high as 30% when the regular American Diabetes Association(ADA) approved devices are to exceed only exceed 10%. This high number of inaccuracy has hurt the company in a negative way and a solution must be found for it as quick as possible. Thus, I proposed the
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.
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.
. There are two main variations of the illness, Type I and Type 2. Diabetes results from a lack of insulin, a hormone that stimulates cells to take up glucose (a type of sugar) from the bloodstream. Cells need glucose as fuel to produce energy. Type 2 diabetics progress through two stages of the disease. In the first stage, called “insulin resistance”, the cells no longer respond to insulin. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. Having type 2 diabetes in a person’s body is not good as because the body does not use insulin properly. This is called insulin resistance. At first, the pancreas makes extra insulin to make up for it, but, over time, it won’t able to keep up and will not be able to make enough insulin to keep the blood glucose at normal
Diabetes Mellitus occurs when the pancreas is unable to produce a hormone called insulin to regulate metabolism. Without insulin the glucose (a sugar in the blood) cannot enter cells of the body and blood glucose levels will rise, resulting in Hyperglycemia. There are various forms diabetes; type one and type two diabetes and gestational diabetes, which is diabetes while being pregnant, or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or homeostasis, IGT is a pre-diabetic state of hyperglycemia that is associated with insulin resistance. Pre-diabetic patients with IGT have blood glucose levels that are high but they are not high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes yet. Lifestyle changes can help to reduce the IGT patients risk of developing diabetes mellitus these include; exercising regularly, limiting sugar and carbohydrate intake and
Hypothesis: I chose to research Diabetes, because it affects thousands of people each year. It is a disease that disables the human body from producing or reacting to the hormone called insulin. As a result, people experience abnormal levels of metabolism and glucose. There are many different types of diabetes, but the most common ones are type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. Diabetes can lead to blindness, kidney failure, and nerve damage.
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/
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.
“Diabetes mellitus (sometimes called "sugar diabetes") is a condition that occurs when the body can't use glucose (a type of sugar) normally. Glucose is the main source of energy for the body's cells. The levels of glucose in the blood are controlled by a hormone called insulin, which is made by the pancreas. Insulin helps glucose enter the cells” (Diabetes Mellitus).
When somebody has diabetes, their body can’t keep up with healthy levels of glucose in the blood. Glucose is a form of sugar that is the main source of energy for our bodies. Unhealthy levels of glucose in the blood can lead to long term and short term health complications and problems.