Diabetes Mellitus
...il the body has a need for the insulin. (Beaser, 1995) The pancreas, in addition to producing insulin, manufactures a hormone called glucagon. The function of this hormone is to raise blood sugar. Insulin and glucagon play a balancing act as they help to keep the blood sugars within a normal range. Also produced in the pancreas are enzymes that help to break food down into more simple substances so that they can be absorbed into the bloodstream. Eyes Blurred Vision. Even before diabetes is diagnosed, it can have adverse effects on the eyes. Fluid can leak into the lens of the eye, which changes vision due to the swelling or distortion. Once you are diagnosed with diabetes and begin treatment, this problem corrects itself in a matter of a few weeks, provided you keep your blood sugar under control. It is also possible to have blurred or distorted vision as a result of blood sugar that fluctuates. Retinopathy. The breaking and bleeding of very small blood vessels in the retina, called Retinopathy, is the most serious eye problem that can occur as a result of having diabetes. The blood vessels are extremely sensitive and are harmed by high blood sugar. In the initial states, the diabetic does not feel anything, so they are unaware that their retinas are becoming damaged. Nerves Consistent high blood sugar has adverse effects on the nerves in your body. This painful condition is called neuropathy. It can feel like pins pricking your skin as well as give you the sensation that you are wearing a pair of gloves. It can also result in the loss of feeling in the feet and hands. Oftentimes, the diabetic will become dizzy when going from a lying to sitting or standing position. Keeping blood sugar under strict control has been proven to be effective in the prevention of delay of this problem. (Milchovich & Dunn-Long, 1999) Kidneys It is important to keep your kidneys as healthy as possible. When kidneys become damaged, they do not repair themselves. The worst kidney disease that you can get is called nephropathy. Nephrons, which are small filters, separate out waste products and other substances from the blood that flows through the kidneys. High blood sugar can permanently damage these small filters, which can cause the kidneys to fail. (Beaser, 1995) Skin Dry Skin. A diabetic that does not control their blood sugar well can become dehydrated, which means that their body does not have enough fluids in their tissues. Once this occurs, the skin becomes dry. Skin that is dry is not life-threatening, but it can be unsightly. NLD. Necrobiosis lipoidica diabeticorum, or NLD, is also another harmless skin condition. It occurs most often in women, particularly in their teen years. It is primarily found on the shins and is initially a discoloration that is either pink or red. The skin in these areas eventually tightens and becomes shiny. The primary risk with this condition is the possibility that the skin on the shins can break open. In rare cases, skin grafts are performed to help these areas heal. Feet Foot problems can be a significant issue for people who have diabetes. “In fact, they spend more days in the hospital with foot complications than with any other problem.” (Beaser, 1995. pg. 245) There are many theories as to why this is the case. Being able to see the feet is essential to optimal care. Blurred vision can be an issue when trying to see your feet. Being overweight is also an issue that can affect your ability to bend over and take care of your feet. Additionally, people with diabetes have a greater chance than average of getting an infection. Types of Diabetes Type I Diabetes With Type I diabetes, the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Consequently, anyone with Type I diabetes must receive daily insulin injections. The insulin must be injected into the body because if it is taken orally, stomach acids will make the insulin ineffective to the body. The primary targets for this type of diabetes are children and young adults, but it can affect people of any age. Out of the entire diabetes population, approximately five to ten percent of the diabetics have Type I. The destruction of beta cells causes Type I diabetes. The cause of the beta cells’ destruction has yet to be determined, but scientists believe that it is caused by something that has gone wrong with the body’s immune system. The immune system normally uses antibodies to attack foreign invaders. They believe that the antibodies destroy the beta cells, resulting in Type I diabetes. Type II Diabetes Accounting for 90 percent of the diabetic population are people who have Type II diabetes. The problem in this type of diabetes is that the beta cells do not produce enough insulin to meet the needs of the body. In addition to this problem, the cells in the body do not react appropriately to the available insulin in the body because they cannot admit glucose through the cell membranes. Scientists have yet to determine exactly what causes Type II diabetes, but they do know that it is caused by multiple factors. The factors can vary from person to person. Some of the factors are being overweight, defective beta cells, not enough beta cells, and heredity. Gestational Diabetes When a woman becomes pregnant, provided that she did not have diabetes already, her body cannot metabolize sugar like it normally can when she is not pregnant. This condition normally appears during the third trimester of the pregnancy. Women who have this problem have to adjust their diet and, sometimes, inject insulin daily. Normally, the woman’s blood sugar should return to normal once she delivers the baby. Unfortunately, she is at a higher risk of getting diabetes later on in life as a result of having it during her pregnancy. Susceptible Populations Approximately 18.2 million Americans have diabetes, which is approximately three percent of the population in the United States. Of this 18.2 million, 13 million have officially been diagnosed. The remaining 5.2 million are undiagnosed. Each year, 1.3 million more cases of diabetes are diagnosed from the population that is greater than twenty years of age. Type II diabetes makes up the 90% or more of all diabetes cases diagnosed. (Medline Plus, 2003) As you age, the probability that you will get diabetes increases. In the population that is above 60 years of age, approximately 18.3 percent have diabetes. Whether you are a male or a female does not really matter, as roughly 8.7 percent of men and 8.7 percent of females who are greater than or equal to age 20 have diabetes. “Diabetes occurs more frequently in some populations, including African Americans, Hispanic/:atino Americans, American Indians and Alaska Natives.” (LifeScan, 2004) Controlling Diabetes Diet The diet plays a tremendous role in the management of diabetes because it is important to keep your blood sugar within a normal range. A person with this disease must understand exactly what they are eating relative to how the foods are broken down in order to fully understand the implications of the diet on his or her body. The pancreas in someone’s body that does not have diabetes automatically adjusts according to the various foods that they eat. The person with diabetes who is taking a fixed dosage of insulin has to manually adjust their diet so that their blood sugar will be within a normal range. This is no easy feat and requires a good understanding of food content. Carbohydrates. More than any other food, carbohydrates affect blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy. Starches and sugars are carbohydrates and they are both broken down into glucose at approximately the same speed. Starches are found in breads, cereals, pasta, lentils, peas, potatoes, peas, and beans. Sugars are found naturally in fruits, vegetables, and milk. Foods that have added sugars are syrups, candies, jams, and desserts. More important than the sugar either being added to a food, or just contained in the food naturally, is the number of carbohydrate grams you are consuming. Foods, such as candy and jams, that have no nutritional value must be a part of your diet—not added to your diet, as too many sugars can cause your diabetes to spin out of control. (Beaser, 1995) Carbohydrates raise the blood ...