Type II diabetes Chronic Condition
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Type II diabetes
Type II diabetes is a chronic condition that affects metabolism of sugar in the body. The condition makes the body to resist the role of insulin, which controls the level of sugar. The condition also arises when the body cannot produce enough insulin. Type II diabetes is common in adults and requires urgent treatment because it can cause death. The condition is incurable but manageable through proper diet, exercising and insulin therapy (Bernstein, 2011).
Among the symptoms of type II diabetes, include thirst and passing urine more frequently. Thirst is caused by excess sugar in the blood, which makes water leave tissues. The frequent intake of water leads to frequent urination. Type II diabetes patients experience hunger because of the deficiency of insulin to supply cells with energy making the muscles weak thereby triggering frequent hunger. The condition is also characterized by weight loss and fatigue because the body cannot metabolize glucose, which means the body uses stored energy in the muscles while excess glucose is excreted through urine. Due to increased sugar in the blood, the lenses lose fluid and the patient experiences blurred vision. Most patients of type II diabetes experience slow healing of sores and dark patches on the skin (Holford, 2011).
The cause of type II diabetes is resistance of the body to use insulin and failure of the pancreas to produce enough insulin. However, there is no known reason why the body may resist insulin or the pancreas may produce less insulin. The factors attributed to this malfunctions include excess weight and lack of enough exercise. The pancreas produces insulin and secretes it into the bloodstream where it circulates in the body allowing sugar to enter cells. This lowers the amount of glucose in the blood thus reducing secretion of insulin from the pancreas. Glucose, which is derived from food and stored in the liver, provides body cells with energy for all the functions of muscles and tissues. When the level of insulin is low, especially when one has not taken food for long, the glycogen stored in the liver is broken down into glucose to maintain glucose in the blood at normal levels. Patients of type II diabetes experience improper functions of this process where sugar accumulates in the blood instead of entering the cells (Eichten, 2011).
The risk factors associated with type II diabetes include overweight as the extra fat in the cells increase the resistance to insulin. Fat distribution in the body also contributes to the condition where people with fatty abdomen are at greater risk than those whose body stores fat around thighs and hips. Inactivity also increases the risks of the condition. People who are more physically active are able to control their weight and make their cells respond better to insulin. In addition, an individual is at more risks of type II diabetes if his or her parents or siblings had the condition. Race is also a contributing factor where blacks, American Indians and Asian-Americans are more vulnerable to the condition compared to whites. However, there is no explanation on how race contributes as a risk factor for type II diabetes. Type II diabetes is common among people aged above 45 years because they are less physically active, which results to weight gain. However, the condition is getting common among children and young adults. People with prediabetes condition, which is characterized by high level of glucose in the blood but not to an extent of being regarded as diabetic, are at higher risk of experiencing type II diabetes if they are not treated. Expectant mothers who develop gestational diabetes including those who give birth to babies weighing more than 4 kilograms are at a greater risk of developing the condition (Holford, 2011).
Type II diabetes if not treated can gradually lead to complications such as heart and blood vessel disease. These include coronary artery disease, heart attack, stroke and high blood pressure. People with diabetes are four times more likely to experience stroke than those without the condition. People with the condition of diabetes are more likely to succumb to heart related diseases than people who do not have diabetes. The condition can damage nerves because of injured walls of blood vessels that lead to the nerves causing numbness and pain around the tips of the toes spreading upwards. If not controlled, the patient can lose the entire sense of feelings in the limbs. Some patients may experience nausea and vomiting because of damage of the nerves that helps digestion. Men with type II diabetes experience erectile dysfunction when the nerves are damaged. The condition is known to damage the kidney filtering system, which can cause irreversible kidney failure that requires kidney transplant or dialysis. Type II diabetes can damage eyes causing blindness when vessels that carry blood are damaged. Other eye related problems such as glaucoma may also affect patients of type II diabetes. The condition causes complications on foot due to poor circulation of blood where the infections can worsen leading to leg amputations. People living with diabetes experience problems with skin and mouth especially if the patient maintains poor dental hygiene. Another complication related to type II diabetes is Osteoporosis due to loss of mineral density in the bones (Bellenir, 2011).
A family doctor may diagnose the condition and refer the patient to a specialist such as dietician or an educator who is certified. When a person diagnosed with type II diabetes is given an appointment to visit a healthcare it is important for him or her to prepare for the appointment. Among the things, such a patient requires to do include strict adherence to pre-appointment restrictions such as not eating for a minimum of eight hours prior to the testing of the level of glucose in the blood. The patient should maintain a good record of the symptoms experienced before the test. If possible, it is important for the patient to be accompanied by a family member during the appointment to avoid forgetting important details. It is therefore important to prepare all the questions the patient would want to ask the specialist such as how to monitor glucose range, important changes in the diet, counting of carbohydrates in the diet and the amount of exercise needed per day. The patient also needs to know how to take the medicine and manage other medical problems in case there is any. Type II diabetes patients need to know how to handle low blood sugar, signs and symptoms and when to test for ketones (Ezrin, 2011).
Diagnoses of type II diabetes include glycated hemoglobin test (AIC) that gives the level of sugar in the blood for the past three months. It relates the amount of sugar attached to hemoglobin where high sugar level means more sugar attached to the hemoglobin. Normal sugar level is 5.7percent while prediabetes gives a result of 6.4 percent. If a person tests 6.5 percent, it is a confirmation of diabetes. Sometimes AIC test may not be possible due to other conditions such as pregnancy or hemoglobin variant and in that case, the doctor may recommend other methods such as random blood sugar test. The method involves taking a sample of blood after the individual has fasted overnight. Normal blood sugar gives results of less than 100mg/dL. Prediabetes condition gives sugar level within a range of 100 to 125 mg/dL. If the reading is 126mg/dL or more, the doctor considers the individual to have diabetes. The doctor may also decide to administer oral glucose tolerance test after a fast overnight. The fast is followed by taking oral sugar at 2 hours intervals followed by testing. The normal level of sugar should be less than 140 mg/dL while a reading between 140 and 199 mg/dL indicates prediabtes. If the individual tests for sugar level and the readings are more than 200 mg/dL then he or she is considered to have diabetes. Doctors recommend people to take AIC levels between two and four times annually and recommend different target AIC levels based on age and other factors. However, the common recommended value is below 7. It is also important for blood and urine test to be administered periodically in addition to AIC test to determine cholesterol values and the functioning of thyroid, liver and kidney. Diabetes specialists assess blood pressure, foot and eye to determine if there is any damage or infection (Burant & Young, 2012).
When an individual is diagnosed with type II diabetes treatment requires the patient to observe lifelong adherence to monitoring of blood sugar level, eating right, regular physical exercise and insulin therapy. People having diabetes should avoid excessive intake of alcohol as substances used to mix the drinks may increase the level of sugar in the blood. It is also important to avoid stress as it prevents proper functioning of insulin. Women may experience fluctuations in blood sugar level especially one week before menstruation. Regarding the diet there is no diet for diabetes as opposed to what many people believe. However, doctors recommend food rich in fiber and low in fats. Such food includes fresh fruit, green vegetables and whole grain meals. Individuals having this condition should take less animal protein and fewer refined carbohydrates. Among the recommended medication for diabetes patients include metformin, which improves body tissues to sense insulin. The doctors recommend lifestyle changes such as physical activity and losing of extra weight. Other drugs that stimulate pancreas to produce insulin include glipizide and glimepiride. Acarbose is another drug that blocks the action of enzymes responsible for respiration of carbohydrates in the intestines. If an individual cannot take metformin, the doctor may administer other drugs such as repagglinide, sitagliptin and saxagliptin. Other recently discovered drugs include liraglutide and exenatide. Each drug has pros and cons and patients need to discuss use of each drug with the doctors. If the doctor finds it, necessary to administer insulin to the patient it must be injected as oral administration may interfere with digestion. Among the insulin recommended are insulin lispro, insulin isophane, and insulin glargine and insulin detemir (Bellenir, 2011).
Type II diabetes is serious and requires the patient to be committed all the time. Important personal efforts include discussing with a counselor in order to cope with the change in lifestyle. Support groups offer great information support and encouragement to patients of type II diabetes although they may not be meant for everyone having the condition. For more information on type II diabetes, American Diabetes Association engages in local activities and online information services where people having the condition interact (Holford, 2011).