Complications of Diabetes Essay

The study showed that the benefits of glucose reduction did not accrue for several years, and despite achieving statistical significance, the absolute risk reduction from intensive glycaemic control was small, with a reduction of 5 events over 10 years, and a small differential HbA1c between the conventional and intensive groups. Furthermore, due to the progressive nature of the disease, increasing combinations of oral and insulin drug therapy were introduced over to time to maintain the tight glycaemic control, therefore providing greater variability and a limited scope of comparison for statistical data on the efficacy of individual agents used amongst the patient cohorts.(King, Peacock, and Donnelly, 1999). This has raised further questions for clinicians in assessing how worthwhile are the benefits achieved with tighter glycaemic control, and how can targets be achieved in routine practice? It is not always clinically acceptable to maintain intensive glycaemic control, for example with the frail and elderly, or those with existing severe co-morbidities or complications. The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial follow up study reported that patients who achieved an average HbA1c value of 53mmol/mol had better outcomes after 20 years of follow-up than the control group (who had an average HbA1c of 75 mmol/mol), irrespective of

Why do we treat diabetes? There are a number of downstream events associated with abnormal blood glucose levels. If glucose levels are managed properly, the complications associated diabetes can be controlled, and sometimes completely prevented. The main problem with having more than the normal amount of glucose circulating in the blood stream is the effect that excess glucose can have on both large and small blood vessels (DTC, 2004). Micro-vascular and macro-vascular problems associated with diabetes can be seen in the heart, eyes, kidney, legs and feet. Diabetic patients are twice as likely to suffer from a mycocardial infaraction, twenty-five times more likely to suffer blindness, and seventeen times more likely to suffer kidney failure compared to a non-diabetic (DTC, 2004). Because of great number of risks associated with abnormal blood glucose levels, diabetes is aggressively treated to improve the quality of life and prevent complications in patients.

Diabetes is a disease where the body is unable to produce or use insulin effectively. Insulin is needed for proper storage and use of carbohydrates. Without it, blood sugar levels can become too high or too low, resulting in a diabetic emergency. It affects about 7.8% of the population. The incidence of diabetes is known to increase with age. It’s the leading cause of end-stage renal disease in the US, and is the primary cause of blindness and foot and leg amputation. It is known to cause neuropathy in up to 70% of diabetic patients. Individuals with diabetes are twice as likely to develop cardiovascular disease. There are two types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2.

Public health emphasizes the importance of prevention and proactively taking care of one’s body. As people grow older, they must follow certain guidelines to ensure that they age healthily and successfully. One of the biggest concerns facing the aging population is chronic diseases. Chronic diseases are long term diseases that have a slow progression. Once chronic diseases pass “certain symptomatic or diagnostic thresholds,” they become a permanent aspect of an individual’s life because “medical and personal regimens can sometimes control but can rarely cure them” (Albert and Freeman 105). One chronic condition that is a cause of concern is diabetes. Diabetes is not only one of the leading causes of death in the over 65 population but

Most patients who have diabetes for an extended amount of time may end up with diabetic neuropathy, which is damage caused to the nerves; it affects the peripheral nerves, autonomic nerves, and focal nerves. From the high blood sugar, it can destroy parts of the patient’s blood vessels, heart, and kidneys. If diabetes is not treated, it will almost always cause heart disease or kidney disease.

The American Diabetes Association (2004) defines diabetes as a subset of metabolic diseases associated with hyperglycemia secondary to insulin failing to release, act, or both. Complications related to chronic diabetes can be detrimental to one’s health including but not limited to: heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, amputations, blindness, and other optical diseases. Furthermore, the prevalence of diabetes is rising at an astronomical rate within the United States as well as internationally. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2016) an estimated 29 million people suffer with diabetes and 86 million are prediabetic within the United States (US). Without major interventions from the healthcare community,

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a pandemic that affects millions of people. The growth rate of unrecognized pre-diabetes in America is expected to rise up to 52% by 2020 (Lorenzo, 2013). As the prevalence of diabetes increases, so will the complications and burden of the disease. One of the leading causes for cardiovascular disease, renal failure, nontraumatic lower limb amputations, stroke, and new cases of blindness is DM (Lorenzo, 2013).

Uncontrolled diabetes can affect nearly every organ of the body; of which, heart disease and kidney failure are most commonly impacted. Known as diabetes mellitus, a collective term for various blood abnormalities, the term diabetes refers to either a scarcity of insulin in the body or the body’s inability to accept insulin. Though the symptoms of diabetes are manageable, many are unaware as to having it. According to the CDC report “2011 Diabetes Fact Sheet,” approximately 6 million people in the United States have undiagnosed diabetes. Undetected, diabetes can become deadly. In a recent World Health Organization report “Diabetes Action Now: An Initiative of the World Health Organization and the International Diabetes Federation,” it

However, because Danny does have diabetes, his health is in a poorer state and his risk for developing cardiovascular disease is increased. Diabetes is defined as having a fasting plasma glucose value of 7.0 mmol/l (126 mg/dl) or higher. Every year, diabetes claims many lives; for example, in 2008, diabetes was responsible for 1.3 million deaths all across the world (World Heart Federation, N.p., n.d). When looking at cardiovascular disease with diabetes, data shows that of all diabetics who die, 60% of them die as a result of cardiovascular disease (World Heart Federation, N.p., n.d). Cardiovascular risk increases with raised glucose values. The risk of cardiovascular events is from two to three times higher in people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and the risk is disproportionately higher in women (World Heart Federation, N.p., n.d). From this we can infer that if my mother or I did have diabetes, it would be likely that that would increase our risk to a greater degree compared to Danny’s risk, because he is a male. Cardiovascular risk increases with raised glucose values. In addition, within certain age groups, people with diabetes have a two-fold increase in the risk of stroke. Patients with diabetes also have a poorer prognosis after cardiovascular events compared to people without diabetes. Primary care access to measurement of blood glucose and cardiovascular risk assessment as well as

There are many risk factors that one should take into consideration. Having high blood pressure, being inactive and overweight are both very high risk factors. If a family member has diabetes or if a person is African, American Indian, Asian, Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latino descent, they also have a greater risk of the disease.

compared the impact of cardiovascular disease in non-diabetics and diabetics in the Framingham cohort study. The incidence of cardiovascular disease among diabetic men was twice that among non diabetic men. Among diabetic women the incidence of cardiovascular disease was three times that among non diabetic women. Judging from a comparison of standardized coefficients for the regression of incidence of cardiovascular disease on specified risk factors, there is no indication that the relationship of risk factors to the subsequent development of cardiovascular disease is different for diabetics and non-diabetics. The author finally concluded that the role of diabetes as a cardiovascular risk factor does not derive from an altered ability to contend

Long-term effects of diabetes can cause many serious complications: heart disease, stroke, blindness, amputations, and kidney disease and nerve damage. These complications are usually progressive and develop over time due to poor control of blood glucose levels. High blood glucose levels cause a narrowing of all the vessels, blockage, and high blood pressure.

There is growing concern that intense glucose lowering or the use of certain agents may be associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes.

Diabetes Mellitus affects 29.1 million in the United States of America alone. Complications due to diabetes mellitus are a significant measure of costs of healthcare and estimated to be 249 billion dollars annually, (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). Health problems secondary to diabetes mellitus include cardiovascular diseases, hospitalization for diabetic ketoacidosis, end-stage renal disease, lower extremity conditions especially

Diabetic nephropathy is considered a major microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus that affects approximately one-third of