Chapter 9 - Disruptions To Homeostasis Flashcards
What is Diabetes?
A condition in which a person has abnormally high blood glucose levels (hyperglycaemia)
What usually keeps blood glucose levels regular?
- a balance between the hormones insulin and glucagon
What causes type 1 Diabetes?
A fault in the patients immune system causes the destruction of beta cells in the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas. Because beta cells produce insulin, a person with type 1 Diabetes does not produce insulin
Why can insulin not be taken in the tablet form?
It is digested in the alimentary canal
What are the treatments for type 1 Diabetes?
- insulin injections
- programmable pump
What are the long term effects of injected insulin?
- kidney failure
- heart attack
- stroke
- amputations
- blindness
- nerve damage
How is Diabetes diagnosed?
A fasting blood test that detects blood glucose levels
What is the cause of type 2 Diabetes?
The patient produces insulin but the patients cells are unable to respond to it
What factors increase the risk of type 2 Diabetes?
- lack of physical activity
- being overweight or obese
- a diet that is regularly high in fat, sugar and salt and low in fibre
- high blood pressure
- high blood cholesterol
- smoking
What are the complications of type 2 Diabetes?
- kidney disease
- heart disease
- stroke
- eye problems
- nerve damage
- foot and skin problems
When does hyperthyroidism occur?
When the body produces too much thyroxin
What is the most common type of hyperthyroidism?
Graves’ disease
What is Graves’ disease?
- an enlargement of the thyroid caused by an immune system reaction
What are the symptoms of hyperthyroidism?
- rapid heart beat
- weight loss
- protruding eyeballs
- fatigue
- increased appetite
What are the treatments of Graves’ disease?
- drugs that block the thyroids use of iodine
- surgery to remove all or some of the thyroid
- radioactive iodine drink, the radioactive molecules kill thyroid cells when they are absorbed.
What are some causes of hypothyroidism?
- lack of TSH
- lack of iodine in the diet
- attack on the thyroid by immune system (Hashimoto’s disease)
- removal of some or all of thyroid due to cancer
What are some symptoms of hypothyroidism?
- unexplained weight gain
- slow heart rate
- fatigue
- goitre
What is goitre?
The swelling of the thyroid that occurs when the thyroid enlarges in attempt to increase hormone production.
What is the treatment for hypothyroidism?
- Levothyroxine, a synthetic form of T4
What behavioural activities cause disruption to homeostasis?
- drugs
- excess activity
- eating habits
