Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes Mellitus

My Independent Project is on Diabetes Mellitus, type1 Diabetes, or juvenile-onset diabetes. No matter what you call it, its all the same. Your pancreas has died and you have no other way to survive other than to inject insulin multiple times a day. I chose this project because I always enjoy learning more about the disease I got less than two years ago. Every year the teams of scientists from the Joslin clinic develop new ways to live with Diabetes. So far no one has invented a cure, but they are getting closer to finding it every year. People with Type I diabetes don't produce insulin and need regular shots of it to keep their blood glucose levels normal. Almost half the people with this type of diabetes are age 20 and younger. That's why Type I diabetes was once called juvenile-onset diabetes. But that name has been dropped because Type I diabetes also strikes young adults. People with diabetes have to give themselves shots multiple times throughout the day so they can monitor their blood sugar levels because their bodies cant do it on their own. Type1 diabetes can cause different problems if it is not properly taken care of. Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar; sometimes called an insulin reaction, occurs when blood sugar drops too low. Hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar, occurs when blood sugar is too high, and can be a sign that diabetes is not well controlled. Ketoacidosis, or diabetic coma, is a very serious condition. This means there is too much sugar in the urinary tract. It occurs if your blood sugars are very high for a long period of time. This is fatal and can lead to future complications.

Bibliography

1. http://www.jdfcure.com/NHAnnouncements5.htm Joslin Diabetes Foundation web page 2. http://www.renkausa.com/type1.htm Renka/ diabetes Home Page 3. http://www.medical-library.org./ Medical Library Online Textbook 4. Dr. Elizabeth Wallach, Joslin Clinic for Diabetes 5. Sondra Pozan