Diabetes Flashcards
What is diabetes?
Chronic condition where the
body cannot regulate blood sugar (glucose)
levels effectively.
How does insulin help regulate blood sugar?
It’s a hormone produced by the pancreas
that allows glucose to enter cells.
How does the liver help regulate blood sugar?
Stores glucose as glycogen and
releases it when blood sugar is low.
What is glucose homeostasis?
The balance between
insulin and glucose.
Type 1 diabetes
Autoimmune disease where the
pancreas produces little to no insulin.
Type 2 diabetes
A condition where the body
becomes resistant to insulin or doesn’t produce
enough.
Gestational diabetes
Develops during pregnancy
and can affect both mother and baby.
What are some symptoms of diabetes?
- Frequent urination (polyuria)
- Excessive thirst (polydipsia)
- Extreme hunger (polyphagia)
- Fatigue and weakness
- Blurred vision
- Slow healing of wounds
Short-term complications of diabetes
Hypoglycemia (low
blood sugar), Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar).
Long-term complications of diabetes
- Cardiovascular disease
- Kidney damage (nephropathy)
- Nerve damage (neuropathy)
- Eye damage (retinopathy)
- Foot ulcers and infections
What oral medication is often given for type 2 and what does it do?
Metformin lowers blood sugar levels by improving way the body handles insulin
Role of carb counting
Carbs are broken down into glucose.
Insulin dose needs to match with how many carbs have been consumed. Everyone will have their own Insulin-to-carbohydrate ratio based on weight, activity level and sensitivity to insulin.
Grams of carbs consumed/insulin to carb ratio=units of bolus insulin
Carbs can either be calculated in grams or carbohydrate portions, so 1 CP may equate to 10g.
Glycemic index
A rating system that ranks carbohydrates on a scale of 1 to 100 based on how much they raise blood sugar. Processed foods such as candy, breads, cake, and cookies have a high GI, while whole foods such as unrefined grains, non-starchy vegetables, and fruits tend to have a lower GI.
Importance of exercise in managing diabetes
Improves insulin sensitivity, lowers
blood sugar, helps with weight management.
Target blood sugar before meals
4-7mmols/L.
Target blood sugar 2 hours after meal
Under 10mmols/L
Lifestyle tips for managing diabetes
- Quit Smoking: Smoking increases the risk of
complications. - Stress Management: High stress can elevate
blood sugar levels. - Adequate Sleep: Poor sleep can lead to poor
blood sugar control. - Regular Checkups: Ensure timely health
assessments and prevent complications.
Diabetes insipidus
Rare condition where kidneys are unable to conserve water properly when filtering blood. Caused by lack of ADH hormone which enables kidneys to retain water in body (prevent dehydration). This is different to diabetes mellitus.
Type 1A diabetes
Your immune system is so overactive that it is destroying normal beta cell tissue. The telltale signs of this destruction are detectable by a laboratory blood test. The test looks for markers.
Type 1B diabetes
If there is no evidence in your blood that your immune system is attacking beta cells and the second, if you have alternating cycles where you need and then don’t need insulin replacement. This form of the disease is unusual and most often diagnosed in those of African or Asian heritage.
Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA)
It’s where a lack of insulin causes body to break down fat as fuel which causes build up of acids (ketones).
It can be life threatening and needs urgent treatment in hospital.
What happens in body during diabetic ketoacidosis?
The body doesn’t have enough of a hormone called insulin, which usually creates energy by letting blood sugar into your cells. Instead, your body starts to break down fat for energy, causing ketones to develop in your blood. If your body makes too many ketones at once, the buildup damages your body and makes your blood too acidic, which is called ketoacidosis.
Role of insulin
It is made by beta cells in the pancreas. Insulin’s main job is to move glucose from our bloodstream into the body’s cells to make energy. If you don’t have enough insulin, glucose builds up in your bloodstream rather than getting into your cells to provide energy.
Gluconeogenesis
The production of glucose from non-carbohydrate sources
Diabetic ketoacidosis symptoms
feeling thirsty,
needing to pee more often
stomach pain, feeling sick or being sick
diarrhoea
breathing more deeply than usual
breath that smells fruity (like pear drop sweets or nail polish remover)
feeling tired, sleepy or confused
blurred vision
