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DIABETES

Diabetes is a health state that is affecting many people in the USA and globally. According to the latest health report on the state of the condition, 23.6 million Americans are suffering from the disease (Deas 31). This figure is shocking to the society and the health practitioners. The economic cost of treating the disease is high for the current fiscal year. Health care system should remain functional despite the economic fluctuation that is affecting all sectors of the economy. Diabetes is a condition that is rendering many families financially dysfunctional. The cost of treating and managing diabetes has escalated. It is becoming difficult for people suffering from the condition to secure comprehensive health insurance policies (Deas 31). Diabetes has grave social and health impacts on the community. It becomes imperative that all stakeholders should be aware of the current challenges that are facing the society. Awareness and concerted effort from all the people in the society are necessary for the management of the disease.

The medical explanation of diabetes introduces an essential component called insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is secreted by the pancreatic organ of the body. This hormone is very critical in managing diabetes. Scientists researched to determine the cause of diabetes. After many research in the laboratory, the experimental medical methodologies are proving that lack of enough insulin in the body causes the diabetic condition. Another cause of diabetes is the failure of the body to utilize the available insulin. From the medical standpoint, two key issues are emerging in the onset of diabetic condition in the body. The first issue is the dysfunction of the organ that produces the insulin that is the pancreases. The second issue is the inability of the body to utilize the produced insulin. This leads to the assertion that the level of insulin in the body must be reach given standard to avert the onset of diabetes.

Diabetes is a general name that describes the condition. Researchers have proved existence if two types of diabetes. These types of diabetes include type 1 and type 2. The type 1 diabetes is also referred as juvenile diabetes or insulin-independent diabetes. The term juvenile emerges from the age group of its discovery. Type 1 diabetes is generally diagnosed in children or teenagers. However, the condition has a broader scope of people who may suffer from it. Some adults have been diagnosed with this type of diabetes. As such, the most preferred term that the medical practitioners suggest is insulin-dependent diabetes. In deconstructing the type 2 diabetes, the scientists have explored the biochemical mechanisms of the insulin in the body (Schuler 99). Type 2 diabetes is a condition that manifests itself when the body is producing insufficient insulin. Moreover, type 2 diabetes will occur if the body cells responsible for the functional conversion of insulin ignore the hormone produced.

The scientific research on diabetes has taken new trajectory. Initially, few studies had been conducted on the topic. Such implies that few verifiable and authentic information were available in the pool of condition knowledge reserve. Insufficient information may lead to the creation of false narratives. Diabetes is a condition that has undergone all the levels of transitions, from speculations, false narrative, and emergence of myths and scientific proof that provides concrete evidence (Schuler 99). For instance, the public believed that type 2 diabetes was a condition that was exclusively affecting adults. Studies have demystified the notion by proving that children too can have type 2 diabetes (Galea 70). In the US, the number of children diagnosed with the condition is steadily increasing. The doctors are working persistently to find the cause of this condition on children. Many physicians have attributed type 2 diabetes to obesity or overweight and sedentary lifestyles.

Type 2 diabetes is considered the most severe form of diabetes. An individual who has type 2 diabetes will live with the condition for the rest of their lives. Type 1 diabetes is a precedent for the type 2 diabetes. Another significant term that the medical field has focused on is pre-diabetes. This condition occurs when the level of blood sugar is higher than the medically set standard but is not high enough for the doctors to conclude that an individual has diabetes. Pre-diabetes increases the risk of a person graduating to the medically serious condition of type 2 diabetes. As this condition represents transition period to type 2 diabetes, it can be managed to avoid the later stages of grave medical consequences. Doctors have advised people who have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes to adopt a healthy lifestyle to avert it from developing to type 2 condition. Such individuals are expected to partake healthy diets and be active in exercise regularly.

Any chronic condition affects the self-esteem and expectation of the patient (Deas 31). It becomes difficult for the people suffering from chronic conditions such as diabetes to accept the new reality. From, the psychological perspective, chronic diseases are analogous to slow punctures that will eventually deflate after some period. The question that most patients who have diabetes ask is whether their lives will be normal despite the conditions. The medics have assured patients that lives will be normal for them as long as they manage the condition. For instance, the standard advice people are given by the health officers is the change of lifestyle. Such implies that the responsibility of managing the condition begins with the patient. A patient who is concerned about his or her life will ensure that they adopt a healthy lifestyle. On the contrary, the condition can render some patients hopeless. Hopeless patients are likely to engage in activities that would worsen the condition and ultimately lead to premature deaths (Schuler 97).

In the past, diabetes was believed to be a health condition that was exclusively affecting some particular group or individuals. The myth has been debunked through in-depth research and studies. Any person can have diabetes. The number of individuals suffering from diabetes in America is high; such implies that people should be aware of the condition. Regular checkup of the level of blood sugar is important in making early discoveries. However, many people are reluctant to visit health facilities for blood sugar analysis. This leads to advice from the medical officers on ways of discovering onset of diabetes. The condition has very few signs and symptoms during the early stages. The manifestation of the symptoms varies from individual to individual. The health effects of the condition have prior impacts on the eyes, kidney, and cardiovascular system. Some of the symptoms that are potential indicators of diabetes include the following: blurry vision, extreme hunger, and thirst, numbness in the feet and hands, recurrent urination and inexplicable loss of weight.

Physicians are advising people who have experienced the symptoms of diabetes to treat it as a matter of urgency (Schuler 110). Such person should visit the nearest health facility for further medical examination and treatment. The word treatment is important in this case because failure to treat high blood sugar content leads to a condition referred as diabetic ketoacidosis. This condition is characterized by dehydration of the body, abdominal pain, vomiting, and shortness of breath. It is reported that failure to treat diabetic ketoacidosis may result in coma or death of the person. The fatalities of diabetes necessitate the urgency of medical interventions.

In the descriptive evaluation of diabetes, it is vital to explore the causes and risk factors of diabetes. The elementary analysis points out glucose as an element that causes diabetes in the body. Nutritionists posit that most of the foods we consume are converted into glucose. Glucose is the simplest sugar that is easily absorbed by the body. Consuming foods rich in simple sugars such as carbohydrates increases the level of glucose in the body. The pancreas produces the hormone insulin that regulates the level of glucose in the body. The condition will occur if the pancreas secret insufficient insulin. Furthermore, rejection of the insulin secreted by the pancreas facilitates the development of diabetic conditions. The probability of an individual suffering from diabetes depends on risk factors (Galea 68). These risk factors catalyze the chances of a person getting diabetes. As such, some of the risk factors can be controlled or management to reduce the likelihood of suffering from diabetes.

The risk factors are explained from the degree of their contribution to the onset of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes that is most feared is caused mainly by weight. People who are overweight or obese are predisposed to diabetes. The age also affects chances of a person developing diabetes. Research shows that as an individual grows older, the risk of getting diabetes doubles (Schuler 110). The research has supported the finding that the risk is much higher for people who are over 45 years. Family history is instrumental in determining individual fate with diabetes. If a person comes from a family that has a history of members suffering from the condition, such person has a higher risk of developing diabetes. As such, it is imperative that a person performs medical history background check on the family to ascertain the prior existence of diabetes. Race and ethnicity are also contributing to the development of diabetic conditions among people. This factor is unclear to the doctors and researchers. Studies have shown that Native Americans are at greater risk of developing diabetes compared to other races. A sedentary lifestyle increases the probability of a person suffering from diabetes.

If an individual visits a health facility for a medical checkup, the diagnosis will be conducted to confirm the absence or presence of the condition. Three primary methods have been developed to diagnose diabetes. These diagnostic techniques include random blood sugar test, oral glucose tolerance and fasting blood sugar test (Ho-Pham 5). In fasting blood sugar test, the doctors analyze the level of glucose in the blood after 8 hours fast. Diabetes is confirmed through this test if the level exceeds 126mg/dL. Oral glucose tolerance test is done after the person has consumed a beverage with a concentration of 75grams of glucose. The concetration of glucose in the blood is analyzed after two hours, 200mg/dL indicates diabetes. Random blood sugar test is conducted at any time of the day. If the level of glucose is higher than 200mg/dL, then the person has diabetes. Another method that is effective and more reliable in diagnosing diabetes has been developed include Hbalc (Ho-Pham 2).

Whereas excess glucose leads to diabetes, it should be noted that limited glucose in the blood causes a condition known as hypoglycemia that has severe health complications. Doctors advise the public or patients on ways of managing the condition. The measures can be categorized as preventive of pseudo-therapeutic depend on the status. A person who has been diagnosed with diabetes will use the measures as pseudo-therapeutic whereas an individual who is diabetes negative will use the measures on the preventive scope. Conclusively, diabetes is a health condition that requires care, awareness, and efficient management to control. The proliferation of the disease will have grave social and health consequences to the society.

Works Cited

Deas, Gerald W. "Taking a Beating from Diabetes?" New York Amsterdam News, vol. 108, no. 14, 06 Apr. 2017, p. 31.

Ho-Pham, LAN T., et al. "Discordance in the Diagnosis of Diabetes: Comparison between Hba1c and Fasting Plasma Glucose." PLoS ONE, vol. 12, no. 8, 17 Aug. 2017, pp. 1-11.

Galea, Marinella Defre. "Chapter 6: Diabetes Mellitus and Lipid Disorders." Medical Management of Adults with Neurologic Disabilities, Demos Medical Publishing, LLC., Jan. 2009, pp. 67-82.

Schuler, Lou. "The Big Diabetes Is America's Stealthy Killer." Men's Health, vol. 32, no. 2, Mar. 2017, pp. 96-119.