Gerontologic Considerations of Diabetes Mellitus

1508 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus only

Gerontologic Considerations of Diabetes Mellitus
According to the Department of Health and Human Services (2011), 18.5 % of the United States population is over the age of 60 years. Of these, 10.9 million (26.9%) are diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (ADA, 2011.) In Lewis and associates’ text book on Medical- Surgical nursing, Lewis states that the incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) increases with age (Lewis, Dirksen, Heitkemper, Bucher, and Camera, 2011.) The purpose of this paper is to explore the disease process of diabetes mellitus in the geriatric population.
Pathology
According to Lewis and associates, DM is a chronic disease that affects multiple body systems. For the purpose of this paper, only DM type 2 will be discussed based on the assumption that a majority of patients aged 60 years or older have this type. The primary defects of this disease consist of insulin resistance, decreased insulin production, inappropriate glucose production by the liver, and alterations in production of adipokines. Insulin resistance is the result of defects in the body’s insulin receptors. This finding predates all cases of DM type 2 and the development of impaired glucose tolerance. In insulin resistance, beta cells in the pancreas are stimulated to increase insulin production to compensate for the lack of response by the insulin receptors. Gradually, the beta cells begin to fail to secrete enough insulin to meet the body’s demands resulting in hyperglycemia. As a result of increased glucose in the liver, the liver begins to malfunction and release glucose at inappropriate times, thereby worsening hyperglycemia. Adding to the problem, glucose and fat metabolism is altered in adipose tissue, which is generally abundant in those with DM type 2. (Lewis et al., 2011)
In addition to these defects of DM, the normal process of aging is associated with additional risks for the

Show More
Related

  • Duchenne Mascular Dystrophy Essay

    900 Words  | 2 Pages

    Physiological Basis of disease: DMD is the commonest and most serious form of the dystrophies. The gene responsible for dystrophin which, when absent, causes DMD. Amount of dystrophin correlates with the severity of the disease (i.e., the less dystrophin present, the more severe the phenotype). Since the gene is on the X chromosome, it primarily affects males, and females who are carriers have milder symptoms ( www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000705.htm).

    Read More

  • The Pathophysiology of Diabetes Mellitus.

    1147 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Muscular Dystrophy Essay

    1843 Words  | 4 Pages

    Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy is a rare form of muscular dystrophy characterized by early onset contractures of the elbows, achilles tendons and post-cervical muscles with progressive muscle wasting and weakness It is also associated with heart complications like cardiomyopathy and arrhythmia which in both cases can lead to death. Cardiomyopathy is a heart disease which affects the muscles of the heart. In cardiomyopathy is muscles get rigid, enlarged or thick. They also sometimes changed by scar tissues. On the other hand arrhythmia is a disorder with the rhythm or rate of heartbeat. The heart can beat fast, which is called tachycardia or it could be beating too slow, which is called bradycardia. Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy is characterized by early onset of contractures and humeroperoneal distribution. Humeroperoneal refers to effects on the humerus and fibula. The genes known to be responsible for EDMD encode proteins associated with the nuclear envelope: the emerin and the lamins A and C.

    Read More

  • Information: Diabetes Mellitus

    3000 Words  | 6 Pages

    Diabetes mellitus, habitually referred to as diabetes is caused by a decline in insulin secretion by the cells of the pancreatic islet resulting into a surge in blood glucose concentration, a condition known as hyperglycemia. Diabetes insipidus is a disorder defined by the secretion of huge quantities of highly diluted urine, this is regardless if a reduction in fluid intake. This is as a result of a deficit of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) also known as vasopressin produced by the posterior pituitary gland. The disorder diabetes mellitus is associated by extreme reduction in weight, a higher urge for urination, also known as polyuria, higher levels of thirst (polydipsia) and an extreme craving to eat known as polyphagia. This disorder has been categorized as Type 1 or insulin dependent diabetes and Type 2 or non-insulin dependent diabetes another type is the Gestational diabetes. The Type 1 diabetes mellitus is portrayed by a deficiency of the insulin-secreting beta cells of the islets of Langerhans found in the pancreas, this leads to a shortage of insulin. The principal cause for this deficiency of beta cells is a T-cell mediated autoimmune onslaught. In children, Type1 diabetes is known as juvenile diabetes. The Type 2 diabetes mellitus is as a result of insulin resistance or diminished insulin sensitivity coupled to a reduction in insulin production.

    Read More

  • Differentiating Between Type 1 and 2 Diabetes Mellitus

    1490 Words  | 3 Pages

    The pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes is characterized by both insulin resistance and insulin secretion. Peripheral insulin resistance and inadequate insulin secretion by the pancreas due is due to beta cell dysfunction. The resistance results in elevated free fatty acids and inflammation which leads to an overall decreased amount of glucose taken up into the muscle, increased glucose production, and incr...

    Read More

  • Transitioning from Nursing Student to New Graduate Nurse (NGN)

    1266 Words  | 3 Pages

    Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 44(9), 406. doi:10.3928/00220124-20130617-38. Torpy, J. M. (2011). The 'Standard' Diabetes. Jama, 305(24), 2592 pp.

    Read More

  • Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Essay

    1178 Words  | 3 Pages

    The average lifespan of an individual with DMD is of about 18 years old. Some of the most common causes of death are heart failure, respiratory failure or infection and airway obstruction.

    Read More

  • Muscular Dystrophy

    1482 Words  | 3 Pages

    Muscular Dystrophy is a genetic disorder in which your muscles drastically weaken over time. Muscles are replaced with “connective tissue,” which is more of a fatty tissue than a muscular one. The connective tissue is the tissue that is commonly found in scars, and that same tissue is incapable of movement. Although Muscular Dystrophy affects muscles in general, other types affect certain groups of muscles, and happen at different periods throughout a lifetime. For example one of the most common types, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, targets muscles in the upper thigh and pelvis. The disease is displayed throughout early childhood, usually between ages four and seven. This genetic disorder occurs only in boys. People have difficulty sitting up or standing and lose their ability to walk in their early teens. Sadly most people die by the age of twenty. A second common type, Becker’s Muscular Dystrophy affects the same muscles as Duchenne, but first appears in teenage years. Most people with Becker’s only live into their forties (Fallon 1824-1825).

    Read More

  • Diabetes Melllitus Type 2

    895 Words  | 2 Pages

    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 levels 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 absence of menstruation.

    Read More

  • Native Americans and Diabetes

    2358 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Rapid-Acting Insulin Essay

    3067 Words  | 7 Pages

    Insulin represents one of the most important hormones in the body for its involvement in control and regulation of blood glucose in humans and in most vertebrates. Insulin acts on cells by stimulating glucose, protein and lipid metabolism, RNA and DNA synthesis via modification of enzymes activities and their transport system. Insulin continues by executing acts on cellular levels, initiated by its binding to plasma membrane receptors. These membrane receptors are presents on mammalian tissues with different concentration levels, varying between 40 receptors on circulating erythrocytes to receptors of approximately 200,000 on adipocytes and hepatocytes. Insulin receptors activation results in internal cellular mechanisms directly affecting glucose uptake. When an insulin control mechanism fails, the occurring result is diabetes mellitus condition. The binding of Insulin to extracellular part of its receptors (alpha subunits) leads to conformation changes, necessary for activation of kinase domains existing in the intracellular site of beta subunits. Clinically there are evidences illuminating insulin exogenous and endogenous inability to increase glucose uptake and utilization. This inability is term insulin resistance, it occurs due to clusterization of cardiovascular metabolic abnormalities resulting in insulin resistance syndrome/metabolic syndrome, which can leads to development of type 2 diabetes and other well-known illnesses.

    Read More

  • Muscular Dystrophy Essay

    855 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ld die during childhood or survive into adulthood. (“NINDSS Muscular Dystrophy Information Page,” 2014 April 19)The lifespan of a person with the disease is dependent on the severity and amount of treatment of muscular dystrophy. With new research being done constantly there is new hope every day that a cure for muscular dystrophy will be found. (“New knowledge about Muscular dystrophy,” 2014 May 5)

    Read More

  • Health Care Options for the Elderly

    1199 Words  | 3 Pages

    When working with the older adult population we have many health care challenges. One health concern for older adults is diabetes type 2. Diabetes can be defines as a raised glucose level and symptoms on two separate occasions. Diabetes type 2 is a metabolic disorder where a person shows some, but not complete, lack of insulin verses type 1 in which a person has a complete lack of insulin. The prevalence of diabetes among Americans has steadily increased over the years. “In 2010, 25.6 million Americans over 20 years old were estimated to be living with diabetes, with an additional 79 million estimated to have prediabetes” (Robertson, 2012, p. 225). Without proper education about the disease and how to manage it, the prevalence among our older population is likely to increase. “The epidemic of type 2 diabetes is clearly linked to increasing rates of overweight and obesity in the U.S. population, but projections by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest that even if diabetes incidence rates level off, the prevalence of diabetes will double in the next 20 years, in part due to the aging of the population” (Kirkman et al., 2012, p. 2342).

    Read More

  • Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Essay

    986 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...hromosome and the disease/disorder is passed down in an X linked recessive fashion. Symptoms include muscle weakening and wasting, and pain in the lower body. Mostly only the lower body’s muscles are affected causing the child to have to be confined to a wheelchair. The best way to diagnose Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is by doing a muscle biopsy to test for abnormal dystrophin levels. There is no treatment for the disease/disorder itself, but only for the symptoms of it. The average age of death in males with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is the late thirty’s. Most deaths are caused by breathing complications or heart problems like cardiomyopathy. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy on average affects one in thirty five hundred male births worldwide. Overall, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is very hard to live with and affects many boys around the world.

    Read More

  • The Pancreas

    852 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are two main types of diabetes. The firsts is insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). In IDDM the body either doesn’t produce diabetes or produces very small amounts. The symptoms usually occur in teenagers under 20, usually around puberty. Untreated IDDM affects the metabolism of fat. Since the body can’t convert glucose into energy, it is broken down into fat and stored for energy. This also increases the amounts of ketone bodies in the blood, which interfere with respiration. The second type is called is non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). This is when the body doesn’t make enough insulin or is unable to use it. NIDDM is the most common of all diabetes; it makes up 90 to 95 percent of all cases. Scientists believe that in some people weight gain or obesity is what triggers their diabetes because 80 percent of people with diabetes are over weight.

    Read More

More about Gerontologic Considerations of Diabetes Mellitus

Open Document