DIABETES 1

Diabetes

Research Paper

Julie Sharma

904709

Career Life Post-Secondary

Mr. Koshman

2017-09-28
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DIABETES

Introduction

Diabetes is a common illness among many people. Most people believe having diabetes is

normal, though what they dont know is living with this condition has many disadvantages and

may cause other severe illnesses. Diabetes however is not curable but it can be prevented or

treated. So what exactly is diabetes? Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder in which the

amount of insulin produced by the body is beneath the normal range or the body cannot correctly

use the insulin it produces. Insulin on its own is very important, it is a hormone made by the

pancreas used to regulate glucose in the blood and it allows the body to use the sugar as an

energy source. If you an absence of insulin in your body or not enough insulin the bodys cells

will not receive the energy it needs to function. There are three major types of diabetes; type 1:

which is always treated with insulin, type 2: that occurs when the body cannot properly use the

insulin that is produced or does not make enough insulin and a third type of diabetes which is

gestational diabetes, and this type of diabetes is a temporary condition that occurs during

pregnancy. Did you know diabetes is now disease that affects 371 million people worldwide

and 187 million of them do not even know they have the disease (International Diabetes

Federation)

It may not look like it now but diabetes is rapidly spreading worldwide. Today this condition

happens to take more lives than breast cancer and AIDS. Diabetes is known as the leading cause

of blindness and kidney failure among adults, and it is the seventh leading cause of death in the
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United States, causing almost seventy-thousand deaths yearly (ADA, 2017). This illness mainly

affects middle-aged and older adults as they are still at the highest risk for developing diabetes.

The condition Diabetes needs to be addressed to various different age groups, so more and more

people will realise how it can have an impact on you, this is very crucial because If not addressed

it could create tremendous issues for future generations.

It has become common for people to claim that the earlier days were better in all aspects of

human life compared to the times now. Most claims are not only baseless but also they delude

the public. For instance, it is not unusual for people that support this theory to claim that these

present-days illnesses were not heard of during the earlier times and they believe that people

lived healthier, happier and longer lives back then rather than now. However, this is not true and

should be overlooked. In fact the current times are better in all aspects of human life compared to

the earlier days due to the technological advancements through the years. (shark, 2012) Our

current technology has restructured the way we look at medical conditions as it has helped with

communication, transportation, education and all health care, and they have made things more

efficient and easier. One of the medical complications that technology has made an impact on is

Diabetes (shark, 2012) Some ways technology has improved diabetes is making devices to

make life easier, devices like the Continuous Glucose Monitors which reports short term trends

in your blood sugar also some continuous glucose monitors also have the ability to notify the

patient when their blood sugar is too low or too high. And Insulin pumps which have been

around for 30 years (hormoneMDs, 2015) has improved by giving patients with diabetes more

freedom. Rather than having to continuously monitor your food intake and keep up with when
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their next insulin dose should be taken, theses pumps allow patients to lead a normal life one that doesnt

revolve around insulin injections. Diabetes is a lifelong disease which isnt easy to have without new

technological advancements. The rapid growth of technology has made health care more successful,

specifically for the treatments of diabetes.

This epidemic disease of diabetes affects those who have it but also their families and society.

According to the NIH (national institutes of health) it costs billions of dollars to provide health

care for the patients with the condition. NIH declares that there were almost 37 million people

with this condition including adults ages 20 through 79, another 44 million people suffered

from impaired glucose tolerance and 108,600 children 14 years of age had one type of diabetes

in North America and in the Caribbean. (Wadhwa, 2014) Diabetic symptoms can affect those

living with diabetes as well as their families, some patients may feel very tired due to their

blood sugar levels and this often leads to missed days at work. The American diabetes

Association estimated that the United States suffered a loss of 58 billion dollars in the year

2007 as a result of missed work days from diabetes related issues (Wadhwa, 2014) there are a

number of ways that this condition affects society because not only is the person with diabetes

affected, but so are the families of those with the disease. When a spouse or parent is not able

to work, they might find the need to go on disability, causing the family a loss of income and as

a result Businesses are also affected when employees with health issues need to take leave from

work. Those with diabetes need to take everything that they do into account. They need to

monitor their eating habits as well as blood sugar levels throughout the day.

DIABETES
Charactistics of diabetes Type 1 diabetes
Having a parent or sibling with type
1 diabetes or having another auto
immune conditon.
Risk factors
Extremely high blood sugar levels
which result in weightloss, hunger,
Symptoms
ftaigue, thirst and frequent urination.
Having type 1 diabetes means your
body fails to produce insulin.
Nature of illness
Self management of insulin to
balance the food intake and exercise.
Treatment
Must take multiple insulin injections
or insulin infusions.
Type 1 diabetes typically occur
during early childhood or teenage
Age
years, but still can occur at any age.
Is it preventable? No
5
Type 2 diabetes
Overwieght, poor diet,
inactive, genectics or being
over the age of 45. Risk
factors also include belonging
to a high risk ethic group or if
you had gestational dibetes
High blood sugar and high
blood pressure, thrist,
headaches, fatigue and
neuropathy.
Insulin-inefficiency which
means your body can produce
insulin but it isnt used
properly by the body or not
enough insulin is produced.
Daily self management of
diet, excerise and medictaions.
Over time roughly 40% of
people may need to use
insulin injections.
Type 2 diabetes usually affect
adults, but still can occure at
any age.
Yes can be preventable with a
healthy diet and keeping
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weight under control.

Diabetes Management

Food

Healthy eating plays a major role when you have diabetes, but with or without diabetes healthy

eating is still a cornerstone to healthy living. Living with diabetes it is essential to know how

food can affect your blood sugar levels but also how much food you consume and what foods

you are consuming. A key to managing diabetes is learning what carbohydrates are and how to

count them. Carbohydrates are the foods that hold the biggest impact on blood sugar levels, for

those people that need insulin doses its crucial to know the amount of carbs in your food.

Making sure every meal is well balanced is great start to manage the condition. Aim to have

every one of your meals with a good mix of starches, fruit, vegetables, protein and fats. Its

important to pay close attention to the carbs you choose because some carbs are better for you

than others. Foods that are low in carbs and high in fiber are what help you keep the blood sugar

under control. Avoiding sugary beverages can be hard including those sweetened with fructose

corn syrup or sucrose but they tend to be high in calories and offer very little in terms of

nutrition. (MCS, 2017) Understanding what portions sizes are appropriate for each food type can

help as well. Eating the right amount of food helps with managing the condition when taking

medications especially insulin, too little food can result in dangerously low blood sugar and too

much food consumption can result in extremely high blood sugar levels.
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Exercise

Physical activity is another main part to managing diabetes. When youre exercising your

muscles use glucose for energy and regular physical activity also helps your body use insulin

more efficiently. The more tiring the workout is for you the longer the effects will last, but even

light exercises such as chores around the house, gardening or even being on your feet for long

time can improve blood sugar. If you want to work out at a more intense pace be aware of low

blood sugar levels; feeling shaky, weak, tired, hungry and lightheaded are all warning signs. In

general most adults should at least be doing 30 minutes of exercise a day for most of the week

but if you have been inactive for a long period of time then aerobic and muscle strengthening

exercises are a great place to start (MCS, 2017) Drinking water while exercising is key because

dehydration can affect blood sugar levels and be prepared by having a small snack or glucose

tablets on hand in case your blood sugar levels drop too low.

Complications associated with diabetes

The longer you have diabetes and the less controlled your blood sugar is puts you in danger of

complications. Eventually the complications of diabetes may be disabling or life-threatening.

Possible complications include:

Cardiovascular disease Diabetes dramatically increases the risk of various

cardiovascular problems, including heart attack, stroke and narrowing of arteries

(atherosclerosis).
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Nerve damage (neuropathy) Too much sugar can injure the walls of the tiny blood

vessels that nourish your nerves, especially in your legs. This can cause tingling,

numbness, burning or pain that usually begins at the tips of the toes or fingers and

gradually spreads. If you left this untreated, you could lose all sense of feeling in the

affected limbs.

Kidney damage (nephropathy). Diabetes can result in severe damage to the kidneys and

result in failure or irreversible end-stage kidney disease, which may require dialysis or a

kidney transplant.

Eye damage (retinopathy). Diabetes can damage the blood vessels of the retina,

potentially leading to blindness.

Foot damage. Nerve damage in the feet or poor blood flow to the feet increases the risk

of various foot complications. If you left this untreated, the cuts and blisters can develop

serious infections, which often heal poorly. These infections may eventually require toe,

foot or leg amputation.

Alzheimer's disease. Type 2 diabetes may increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease. The

less your blood sugar is in control, the greater the risk appears to be.

Diabetes and how it affects you

Diabetes is a demanding disease, so it affects your life in numerous ways. From managing

diabetes to the way you feel when your blood sugars levels are low or really high can be very

stressful. On top of that stress, youre constantly worrying about developing any further

complications which adds to the burden of any complications you may already have. Just as

diabetes can affect your life, your life can also affect diabetes. When youre feeling good about
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your life in general and your diabetes you have more energy to take care of your condition.

Feeling better and staying healthy can lessen the amount of stress you have.

Aspects of diabetes that may affect your life include:

The never-ending demands of diabetes care, such as eating healthy, exercising, and

monitoring blood sugar levels

Symptoms of low or very high blood sugar

Fears about developing further complications

Conclusion

Today diabetes is a disease that affects 371 million people worldwide and 187 million of them do not even

know they have the disease (International Diabetes Federation). The vast amount of people who have this

condition today will impact the future lives as the numbers of diabetics will gradually increase and threaten

the health of coming generations. This condition needs to be addressed, so people can realise how it can

affect you, this is very crucial because If not addressed it could create tremendous issues for future

generations, however if we are well informed about the condition beforehand we can make smart decisions to

prevent and maintain it. Unfortunately this disease is incurable but with a healthy and balanced diet as well

staying active it can diminish the risk of becoming a diabetic.

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