Genetic Origins and Interventions of Insulin-Dependant Diabetes Mellit
Essay by review • October 2, 2010 • Research Paper • 2,360 Words (10 Pages) • 2,136 Views
Essay Preview: Genetic Origins and Interventions of Insulin-Dependant Diabetes Mellit
Diabetes
Diabetes is a disorder of metabolism-the way in which your body converts the
food you eat into energy. Most of the food you eat is broken down by
digestive juices into chemicals, including a simple sugar called glucose.
Glucose is your body's main source of energy. After digestion, glucose
passes into your bloodstream, where it is available for cells to take in and
use or store for later use.
In order for your cells to take in glucose, a hormone called insulin must be
present in your blood. Insulin acts as a "key" that unlocks "doors" on cell
surfaces to allow glucose to enter the cells. Insulin is produced by special
cells (called islet cells) in an organ called the pancreas, which is about 6
inches long and lies behind your stomach.
In healthy people, the pancreas automatically produces the right amount of
insulin to enable glucose to enter cells. In people who have diabetes, cells
do not respond to the effects of the insulin that the pancreas produces. If
glucose cannot get inside cells, it builds up in the bloodstream. The
buildup of glucose in the blood-sometimes referred to as high blood sugar or
hyperglycemia (which means "too much glucose in the blood")-is the hallmark
of diabetes.
When the glucose level in your blood goes above a certain level, the excess
glucose flows out from the kidneys (two organs that filter wastes from the
bloodstream) into the urine. The glucose takes water with it, which causes
you to urinate frequently and to become extremely thirsty. These two
conditions-frequent urination and unusual thirst-are usually the first
noticeable signs of diabetes. Another symptom you may notice is weight loss,
which results from the loss of calories and water in your urine.
The path toward type 2 diabetes
http://www.ama-assn.org/insight/spec_con/diabetes/diabete2.htm#What
As you gain weight, the extra weight causes your cells to become resistant to
the effects of insulin. The pancreas responds by producing more and more
insulin, which eventually begins to build up in your blood. High levels of
insulin in the blood-a condition called insulin resistance-may cause problems
such as high blood pressure and harmful changes in the levels of different
fats (cholesterol) in your blood. Insulin resistance, the hallmark of what
doctors sometimes refer to as "syndrome X," is the first step on the path to
type 2 diabetes.
The second step to type 2 diabetes is a condition called impaired glucose
tolerance. Impaired glucose tolerance occurs when your pancreas becomes
exhausted and can no longer produce enough insulin to get glucose out of your
bloodstream into cells. Glucose begins to build up in your blood. If it is
not diagnosed and not treated, this gradual rise in glucose often leads to
type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease-in any order and in
any combination.
While all these harmful activities are going on inside your body, you feel
perfectly fine. Type 2 diabetes is considered a silent disease because it
works its destruction over many years without causing any noticeable
symptoms. That's why half of the people who have type 2 diabetes don't know
it. You or someone you love could have diabetes.
The good news is that you may be able to avoid type 2 diabetes altogether.
This article will help you understand the disease, learn about your chances
of developing it, and tell you what you can do to try to prevent it. Many
people are able to avoid diabetes by making changes in their lifestyle such
as eating less and exercising more.
Diabetes Statistics http://www.diabetesroadmap.com/
Over 15.7 million people (5.9% of the population) have diabetes and almost
half of them do not know it. And, each day more than 2,200 people are
diagnosed with diabetes.
Diabetes is responsible for more than 180,000 deaths each year in the USA. Diabetes is one of the most costly health care problems in America. Health
care costs directly related to diabetes treatment, as well as the cost of
lost productivity, runs $98 billion annually! 14% of all health care costs
are caused by diabetes and 27% of Medicare's budget is spent treating seniors
with diabetes. 40-45% of persons age 65 or older have Type 2 Diabetes or
Impaired Glucose Tolerance.
Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in people 20-74; the
leading cause of end-stage renal disease; and people with diabetes
...
...