Chronic Disease Flashcards
Chronic Disease
Develop slowly and persists for a long period of time.
Start and are undetected in early adulthood or even childhood.
Once diagnosed, impossible to completely cure most chronic diseases.
Non-communicable.
Types of Diabetes
Type 1
Type 2
Gestational
Type 1 Diabetes
Usually diagnosed in childhood.
Occurs when the pancreas is unable to produce insulin.
Insulin is a hormone that controls the amount of glucose in the blood.
-glucose circulates in the blood and overabundance does damage
-more prone to infections because nutrients and oxygen not delivered where it needs to go
Approximately 10% of people with diabetes have type 1, and it’s decreasing.
Type 2 Diabetes
90% of cases.
The pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body does not effectively use the insulin that is produced.
-glucose builds up in your blood instead of being used for energy (called hyperglycemia).
-to use glucose your body needs insulin.
Usually develops in adulthood, although increasing numbers of children are being diagnosed.
Gestational Diabetes
A temporary condition that occurs during pregnancy.
It affects approximately 2-4% of all pregnancies.
Involves an increased risk of developing diabetes for both mother and child if not managed correctly.
Prevalence of Diabetes
More than 9 million Canadians have diabetes (Canadian population - 36 million).
Type 1 remaining stable.
Number of people with type 2 increasing dramatically due to the population aging, obesity rates rising, and Canadians lifestyles becoming increasingly sedentary.
Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes
The 3 P’s:
1) unusal thirst (polydipsia)
2) frequent urination (polyuria)
3) intense hunger (polyphagia)
Weight change.
Extreme fatigue or lack of energy.
Blurred vision.
Frequent or recurring infections.
Cuts and bruises that are slow to heal.
Tingling or numbness in the hands or feet.
Trouble getting or maintaining an erection.
The Personal Cost of Diabetes
Reduced quality of life and the increased likelihood of complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, amputation, and erectile dysfunction.
About 80% of people with diabetes will die as a result of heart disease or stroke.
Canadian adults with diabetes are twice as likely to die prematurely, compared to people without.
The Financial Cost of Diabetes
People with diabetes incur medical costs that are 3-4 times higher than those without diabetes.
As of 2020, it was estimated that diabetes cost Canadian healthcare system $16.9 billion a year.
Diabetic Neuropathy
About half the people with diabetes have diabetic neuropathy which can result in loss of sensation of the limbs.
Diabetes is a common cause of impotence in men.
Nerve damage and poor circulation to the limbs cause tissue damage in the extremities, especially the foot, which can lead to ulceration.
Diabetes is the leading cause of nontraumatic amputation of lower limbs.
Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy results from damage to the small blood vessels in the eye and is the leading cause of incident blindness in adults age 20-74 years.
On average, about 2% of people with diabetes go blind, and 10% have vision problems after 15 years of diabetes.
Treatment of Diabetes
The evidence is clear that insulin sensitivity is improved while Type 2 diabetes is prevents or delayed in most people when they lose body fat.
An increase in moderate to vigorous physical activity can impact change even when they don’t lose much weight.
Nonetheless, drugs that regulate glucose are often needed in the treatment of people with type 2 diabetes.
-either reduce glucose output or reduce insulin resistance.
Exercise and Diabetes
Indian physicians were to first to recommend exercise for diabetes around 600 BC.
Greco-Roman physicians were recommending it around the year 1000.
Then we moved to treating it with bed rest, and high sugar and high starch foods.
Only about 15 years ago did we start to recommend exercise again as a serious treatment and preventative medicine for type 2 diabetes.
Cardiovascular Disease
Broad term referring to any disease that has to do with the heart or blood vessels.
Coronary Heart Disease vs Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular disease a broad term for any disease that occurs in cardiovascular system.
Coronary heart disease is a disease in which a waxy substance called plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries.
Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)
Is a disease in which a waxy substance called plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries.
These arteries supply oxygen-rich blood to your heart muscle.
Over time plaque can harden or rupture.
-hardened plaque narrows the coronary arteries and reduces the flow of oxygen rich blood to the heart.
-if plaque ruptures, a blood clot can form and when large enough can block blood flow through a coronary artery or can harden and narrow the coronary arteries.
If the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your heart muscle is reduced or blocked, angina (large plaques) or myocardial infarction (ie. heart attack) can occur.
Can weaken heart muscle and lead to heart failure and arrhythmias.
Atherosclerosis
When plaque builds up in the arteries.
Can affect any artery in the body, it’s only CHD when it affects the arteries feeding the heart.
Heart Failure
Condition where your heart can’t pump enough blood to meet your body’s needs.
Arrhythmias are problems with the rate or rhythm of the heart beat.
Risk Factors for CHD
Genetic susceptibility
Male sex
Age
Elevated serum cholesterol (total amount of cholesterol found in your blood).
Low levels of HDL
Smoking
High blood pressure
Obesity
Diabetes
Physical inactivity
Signs and Symptoms of CHD
May have no symptoms but still have it, and as it gets more severe the symptoms will develop.
Pressure or tightness in chest (brought on by exercise or stress) and ceases shortly after activity is done.
Shortness of breath and extreme fatigue following physical exertion.
Heart attack (chest pain, shortness of breath, women may feel no chest pain but experience shortness of breath, dizziness, cold sweats, fatigue, etc.)
Exercise and CHD
Exercise adaptations include lowered blood cholesterol and triglycerides which reduce the risk of atherosclerotic plaques.
Exercise increases HDL
-good cholesterol that removes other types from the blood stream.
Another common adaptation is lowering heart rate and blood pressure and these regulate oxygen demand in the heart.
More efficient oxygen delivery and utilization.
Autopsy studies…
-physically active men who had atherosclerosis/plaque build-up still had large lumens (open space in artery).
-monkeys fed large amounts of high fat and cholesterol diets but lots of physical activity had healthier arteries than the monkeys who did not exercise.
Hypertension
High blood pressure.
Six million Canadian adults, or one in five, have high blood pressure, representing 19% of the adult populations.
Hypertension is the most common reason to visit a doctor.
Hypertension is the number one reason for taking medication.
Risk Factors for Hypertension
Overweight/Obesity
Physical inactivity
Using tobacco
Age
Too much salt (sodium) in your diet.
Too little potassium in your diet
Too little vitamin D in your diet
Drinking too much alcohol
Stress
Certain chronic conditions
Overweight/Obesity vs Hypertension
The more you weight the more blood you need to supply oxygen and nutrients to your tissues.
As the volume of blood circulated through your blood vessels increases, so does the pressure on your artery walls.
Physical inactivity vs Hypertension
People who are inactive tend to have higher heart rates
The higher your heart rate, the harder your heart must work with each contraction and the stronger the force on your arteries.
The lack of physical activity also increases the risk of being overweight
